The Deployment of Early Warning System in Disaster-prone Areas is a collaborative work among several Department of Science and Technology (DOST) agencies namely the Philippine Atmospheric Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA), Advanced Science and Technology Institute (ASTI), and the DOST-Regional Offices (ROs).

On the most basic level, the project aims to install a granular system of hydrometeorological devices (hydromet) and warning stations in selected hazard areas in the country in order to collect weather risk data to be used in aiding real time disaster mitigation efforts.

Cumulated meteorological data reflect trends indicative of changes in the climate and environment an area experiences for an extended period of time. These trajectories points out specific weather risks to a location that is more vulnerable and will need a blanket approach in disaster mitigation. Likewise, DEWS data can guide policy makers in crafting local regulations based on the generated empirical data and actual environmental circumstances.

Since its inception on July 01, 2014, the DEWS Project has boasted a list of accomplishments, lifting more and more local communities from disaster vulnerability. In 2016 alone, the project was able to install 315 devices and a number of warning stations in the country. And in the project’s efforts to localize technical information, it has also conducted a series of Information, Education, and Communication (IEC) campaigns in selected areas and flood drill activities in Regions III and VIII.

For the current year, the project intends to install remaining hydromet stations, install 384 warning systems, and conduct a number of IEC campaigns and flood drills as part of its initiative to publicize technical information. All these efforts work in synergy and are targeted to make scientific and technological advancements inclusive to Filipinos, who for the longest period of local history have been susceptible to the havocs of natural hazards.