Recent Major Disasters

Records show that about 23.49 percent of the Region’s land area has high landslide susceptibility and 28.32 percent with medium susceptibility. For the last 400 years, the seismicity in the area has been surface wave magnitude five and above due to the presence of active volcanoes, fault lines and its proximity to trenches. Almost all coastal areas and flood plains in Western Visayas are prone to liquefaction that particularly threatens urban and semi-urban areas.

The distinct geographical make-up of Western Visayas makes it vulnerable to natural hazards. Its openness to national and global trade also makes it susceptible to highly contagious diseases from other parts of the country and the rest of the world. These natural disasters have been recently experienced by the Region, plus the COVID-19 pandemic, altogether affecting its population and economy.

COVID-19 Pandemic. The first positive case of COVID-19 in Western Visayas was reported on March 20, 20,20 in Bacolod City. As of January 19, 2022, the region has 154,628 total cases with 9,391 cases active, 140,508 recoveries, and 4,729 deaths. The pandemic is ongoing and continues to bring multi-faceted socio-economic impacts on commerce, trade and fundamental freedoms.

The regional economic growth decelerated by -9.7 percent in 2020, driven by contractions in industry and services sectors as a consequence of quarantine measures. The vaccination program has been rolled out, but the emergence of new variants of the virus has caused gradual surges and the imposition of intermittent community quarantines in the Region.

Typhoon Yolanda (2013). On November 8, 2013, Typhoon Yolanda (Haiyan) made its fifth landfall in the Municipality of Concepcion, Iloilo, wreaking havoc in Northern Iloilo and later in Northern Antique. As the strongest typhoon to make landfall, it affected 3,873,028 individuals across the six provinces of Western Visayas. The reported dead or missing persons reached 322, while another 2,067 sustained injuries. It damaged 482,349 houses while the estimated losses in agriculture, infrastructure, social, and productive sectors were pegged at PHP17.8 billion.

Typhoon Quinta (2012). Typhoon Quinta (Wukong) hit the region on December 26, 2012. Continuous heavy rains resulted in flooding that affected a total of 402,254 people. It damaged 12,647 houses with recorded 24 casualties. Losses to agriculture were estimated at PHP291.7 million and to infrastructure at PHP370.1 million.

Typhoon Frank (2008). Typhoon Frank (Fengshen) struck the region, particularly Panay Island, on June 20, 2008. Strong winds and torrential rains caused massive flooding, landslides, mudslides, and storm surges - resulting in fatalities and damage to infrastructure and agriculture. It brought a six-day blackont in Panay Island and caused 33 maritime incidents all over the Region. It affected 1,861,544 individuals, injured 2,555 persons, and caused 3,096 casualties (315 deaths, 226 missings). The total number of damaged houses reached 185,447 while the damage to infrastructure, agriculture, environment, and education reached PHP10.4 billion.