‘DOST video on disaster response may come in handy some day’

The Department of Science and Technology's (DOST) is calling on the public to check out its ten minute video tutorial posted on YouTube about early flood warning systems and other responses during natural calamities which may turn out to be a life saver some day.

DOST lamented that the highly useful video tutorial has yet to catch the attention of millions of Filipinos, even netizens since the two-level video tutorial has only gotten a total of 417 hits as of May 10.

Dr. Mahar Lagmay, executive director of DOST's Nationwide Operational Assessment of Hazards, or Project NOAH, created the tutorials and posted them on www.noah.dost.gov.ph and Youtube on March 31 and April 2, 2015, respectively.

The tutorials were developed to educate Filipinos on disaster risk awareness and help them respond appropriately based on scientific information.

"We have the tools now to save our lives and all it takes to learn about Project NOAH is 10 minutes of our time (for each of the video) and (the benefits) could last us a life time. It could come in handy later on," Lagmay said.

For his contributions to research and development (R&D), the European Geosciences Union (EGU) awarded Lagmay recently the 2015 Plinius medal in Vienna, Austria.

Lagmay told the Manila Bulletin that he plans to create 10 video tutorials from Levels 1 to 10 (Grades 1 to 10).

Lagmay added that he also plans to make versions of the video tutorials in some local dialects to reach more people. Lagmay said he plans to make versions in English, Ilocano, Ilonggo, Cebuano, Waray, and other dialects.

Titled "Paano Gamitin and DOST-Project NOAH" for Grade 1 (Level 1), Lagmay speaks mostly in Pilipino as he showed how to use the flood warning system.

He emphasized the need to watch for water levels and the amount of rain being unleashed by weather events, such as storms, or typhoons.

Lagmay had communicated with the Department of Education (DepEd), requesting that the NOAH video tutorials be shown to pupils and students in the country's schools.

He relayed this in email message to DepEd Undersecretary for Programs and Projects Dina Ocampo Cristobal.