1

Haiyan/Yolanda Wildfires. Samar and Eastern Samar

Rapid assessment (Draft)

Date: 6 April 2014

Assessment period: end of March, 2014

Conducted by: Åsa Granath, Environmental Advisor at OCHA

Wildfires in Samar and Eastern Samar. Causes and risks.

1. Introduction and background

The rapid assessment of wildfires (causes and risks) was done at the request of Timo Knaute, Head of

OCHA's Sub-Office in Guiuan.

Wildfires were reported in Samar/Eastern Samar during a couple of weeks in areas affected by Yolanda.

The fires started after a period with low precipitation and were most extensive in the end of February

2014. Wildfires were first spotted in the forests of Balangiga town (Eastern Samar) and subsequently

went uncontrollable in the ensuing days, and then spread its way to Salcedo, Giporlos and some part of

General McArthur. A separate burning forest likewise was reported in Marabut, (Western Samar).

Scattered wildfires were also reported from the municipalities of Lawaan, Quinapondan, Basey and

Guiuan. No casualties or damages to residential areas were reported. Most of the fires were

extinguished by heavy rainfall. (www.philstar.com, www.inquirer.com).

Map showing parts of Samar and eastern Samar. Four municipalities in Samar and eastern Samar were

visited; Marabut, Lawaan, Balangiga and Guiuan

Because of Yolanda there are lots of dried debris (leaves, branches) in both lowland areas, mostly debris

from coconut palms, and in the uplands, that easily ignite. Burning of coconut debris to clear land is

common, especially in dry weather. Household waste is also mixed with the coconut debris and burned.

The assessment was conducted in cooperation with the Guiuan OCHA office. Timo Kraute and/or Gil

Francis Arevalo participated in the meetings.

2

Leftover debris from clearance of coconut palms is often burned, here as well the stem. Right. Burning of

household waste.

2. Objective

Objective of the rapid assessment;

Look into causes for wildfires and risks it brings especially to people staying in tents and bunkhouses (because of Yolanda)

Get an idea of the capacity at municipal level to respond to wildfires

Give some recommendations to prevent fires

3. Scope of work The conducted work included following activities;

A review of weather and fire hazard data.

Meetings at the municipalities of Marabut, Lawaan, Balangiga and Guiuan. Meetings

were held with personal from different administrations; employees from the Bureau of Fire

Protection, employees from mayor's office, barangay captain, environmental officer etc.

Meeting with the manager of the regional office of PAGASA (Philippine Atmospheric,

Geophysical & Astronomical Services Administration).

Discussions with the shelter cluster coordinator in Guiuan.

Meeting with the regional office of DENR (Department of Environment and Natural

Resourced) in Tacloban,

Meetings were held with the Bureau of Fire Protection. Right, the wildfires affected the uplands.

3

4. Discussion and conclusions

The concern highlighted by OCHAs office in Guiuan was that there is abundant fuel, dried debris, because of Yolanda and there is a higher risk for people living in shelters at high ignition risk. Four municipalities were visited and meetings were held on different levels and with different actors. No casualties or damages to residential areas were reported from the interviewed persons. The main concerns brought up were effects on protected (hardwood) forests and damages to water sources and water pipes. Health effects caused by fire smoke were also mentioned. The first time (at least for a long time) forest fires of this extent been reported. Kaingin burning (wikipedia, Slash-and-burn, an agricultural technique that involves the cutting and burning of trees and plants in forests or woodlands to create fields) and similar clearance of farmland that have spread uncontrolled was mostly mentioned have caused the fires. Production of charcoal was also mentioned. Wildfires are man-made in this region and not natural said one of the interviewed. Generally the capacity to pull out wildfire is low or non-existent and most wildfires were extinguished by rain. The municipalities of Marabut, Lawaan and Balangiga have one firetruck each. Guiuan share one fire truck with the neighbouring municipalities Mercedes and Salcedo. There are a lot of debris (leaves, branches) in Yolanda affected areas, both in the hills-upland areas (in protected forests), reforested areas and as well in the lowland with mainly coconut palms. There is a higher risk for fires because of all dry debris that burn easily and is good fuel for fires that also spread easily. Fires that might reach populated places. Especially people living in tents and bunkhouses, that easily ignite, are especially vulnerable if fires will spread uncontrolled. Fires also causes’ environmental impact (air emission) and health effects, fire-smoke can especially effect sensitive persons with asthmatic problems. Debris, leaves and branches, and left-overs from clearance of coconut palm should be classified as solid waste according to RA9003 “Ecological Solidwaste Management Act” (DENR). Management of different waste is regulated. Composting of organic material shall be promoted. Most municipalities are aware about that there might be an El Niño phenomena this year which might lead to less precipitation that might stress water resources (and increase the risk for fires).

5. Recommendations

Risk for wildfires must be considered because there are a lot of easily burning debris in the Yolanda

affected area. Fire prevention measures are recommended. This could include the following;

Raising awareness to not burn dry debris, especially not in dry weather.

Promote and support reuse of organic debris (eg composting)

Fire prevention and trainings in the camps

Look into the possibility to support the municipalities in fire prevention and management of

organic debris.

Upcoming weather should be assessed and followed up as a disaster risk measure.

There is also a need to monitor the weather forecasts while planning recovery efforts. Will an

upcoming El Niño higher the risk for fires? If, where are the risks highest and what mitigation

measures are required? Other aspects with El Niño, as stresses on water resources and effects on

food production, should also be considered. This topic is though outside the scope of this

assessment.

Åsa Granath, Environmental advisor, OCHA

Appendices. Appendix 1. Notes from meetings, Appendix 2. Fire weather index. Appendix 3.

Reported fires on Homonhon Island. Municipality of Guiuan.

4

Annex 1. Notes from meetings etc

27 March

Municipality of Marabut

Barangay Pinalanga. Rene Cacharo, barangay captain. There was one big fire this year after a period

of dry weather and the fire was probably caused by clearance of farmland and a fire that spread

accidently. In case of a fire they call the fire brigade in Marabut.

Bureau of Fire Protection in Marabut. Met personnel from the fire station. Fire(s) was reported in

February in the uplands. No casualties or affected residential areas were reported. Fires were put out

by rain. There were no reported forest fires in 2013 or recently, what they remember, in the

municipality. The firestation has one fire truck that covers the municipality. They do not have the

capacity to put out fires outside the populated areas.

Municipality of Lawaan

Jed P Inciso, water engineer at the municipality of Lawaan. Dried debris (leaves and branches) from

Yolanda are burned by farmers for clearing land to prepare for plantation. The fires spread accidently.

A forest reserve near that was affected by the fire in the barangay Guinob-An. The municipality has its

water source in the area. Their concerns were the water souce and damages to waterpipes, that

feeds the municipalities’ drinking water, and the forest, which is protected. The fire was extinguished

by rain. They have one fire truck in the municipality. Forest fires have not been reported before in the

municipality.

Municipality of Balangiga

Kenneth Gales, employee at the municipality. Wildfires in the hills in February were caused by

burning of cleared debris and/or for production of charcoal and fires that spread accidental. There was

a fire in the hills that started around 15-16 February and it lasted for about 2 weeks. Rain extinguished

the fires. No people or settlements were affected by the fires but some damages on the forests. Their

concerns by the fires are; health effects, fire smoke affect asthmatic persons, damages to protected

forests, which is the water source for their water supply and the water pipes that might be damaged

by the fires. What he knows this is the first time they have wildfires with that extent. The area that

burned was mostly owned by DENR (the protected areas) and private land. There is a forest guard to

protect the forest against illegal cutting in the uplands.

Fjel Inting, environmental engineer. The Hard-wood/protected forests that was burning. The big trees

were not affected by the fires but the seedlings in replanted areas (reforestation areas) and dry debris

(leaves, branches). He has lived in the area since 2004 and this is the first time wildfires are reported.

He heard from some elder people that there was a forestfire(s?) in the 70s following a typhoon. In the

area they are doing “kaingin” burning, slash and burn, to clear for farmland which might cause land

degradation and erosion. They are looking into the possibility to support composting of debris but

have so far not had time or capacity to look into the issue. The forests, including mangrove, are

described in a “Forest land-use plan” from 2011.

28 March

Bureau of Fire Protection in GuiuanMeeting with STOI Marianito C. Cablao and FOI Denzel A.

Sible. The fire station serves the municipalities’ of Guiuan, Mercedes and Salcedo and they share one

fire truck.

One big fire reported from Salcedo this year around the same time as the fire(s) in Lawaan and

Balangiga. The fire in affected about 10 ha. They said the cause might be clearance of debris to make

5

farmland and/or production of charcoal and a fire that spread accidental. They responded to the fire

and managed to extinguish the fire. No causalities were reported or damages to buildings. Agricultural

land was affected and maybe also wild animals, but that has not been assessed. There is usually a

higher risk for fires in February and March and in March is a fire prevention month every year. They

have ongoing campaigns and inform on radio, do fire training, DRR etc. The risk for fires is higher this

year because of high content of dry debris etc from Yolanda. The have limited capacity to fight fires

and coordinate and share capacity with nearby municipalities. No indigenous people live in their

working area and most likely not in Eastern Samar.

Municipality of Guiuan

Meeting with vice mayor Rogelio O. Cablao, Recti Melquiades secretary of Sangguniang Bayan and

coordination for the LGU response of Yolanda and Rico Ryan Sabulas, DRR officer. Six large fires

were reported on the Homonhon island the first week of March, see appendix 2. No casualties were

reported. Five of the fires were reported as caused by Kaingin burning (wikipedia, Slash-and-burn, an

agricultural technique that involves the cutting and burning of trees and plants in forests or woodlands

to create fields) the last one from making charcoal. No hardwood/protected forests on the island

recording to them. The first time they have those big fires. Chromite is mined on the island. MGB, the

Tacloban office, has investigated the effects on the mining industry but has not yet reported it back.

They are aware about that there might be an El Nino weather situation this year which might lead to

draught. This might affect the water resources, they rely on groundwater and have four natural

springs within and nearby the city and 4 pumping stations. They are working on contingency planning

and rehabilitation planning. Habitat are supporting them in the rehabilitation plan. SIDA visited them

the 25 March, one question was if the LGO have DRR capacity.

30 March

PAGASA (Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical & Astronomical Services Administration).

Meeting with Marianito A. Macasa. Head of office in Tacloban. Usually there are no prolonged dry

seasons in this region. The weather system El Niño is expected this summer. This region (around

Guiuan) is usually not that sensitive to the El Niño phenomena, but should be assessed and followed.

Fires in this area are man-made and not natural. Northeast monsoon has declined and we are in the

transition to the southwest monsoon. Weather data shows rain from east that will give precipitation

the following week. In February there was a bit less rainfall than normal. In April there is expected to

be 11 to 15 days dry days, dry day means <1 mm rainfall.

IOM, Guiuan. Brad Mellicker. Shelter Cluster Coordinator in Guiuan, Eastern Samar. They have no

reported casualties connected to wildfires and have not especially thought about it. They are aware

about the risk for fire for people living in tents and bunkhouses and are working on fire prevention to

some extent. The response time to get a firetruck is long. We mentioned the training that is hold by

the fire bureau this month. Maybe could be an opportunity for people in bunkhouses and tent to

attend.

31 March.

DENR (Department of Environment and Natural Resources), regional office in Tacloban. Danilo A

Javier, Protected areas. Tacloban City. They have some reporting on the wildfires and that they were

caused by fires to clear farmland from debris. No larger damages on protected forests, mostly the

buffer zones or reforestation projects that were affected. No IPs (indigenous populations) in Eastern

Visayas. The uplands are also water resource areas and important to protect. There is problem with

Kaingin, trash and burn, in the area. The slopes in the uplands are sensitive to erosion and burning

and clearance of vegetation causes land degradation.

6

Appendix 2. Fire weather index.

7-day forecast. Fire Weather Index covers Visayas. Black spots fires the last 24 hours. Canadian FWI

System: Yellow corresponds to a medium risk, and green low risk. Most of Yolanda affected area

marked as yellow. The fire risk next 7 days is medium in most of Yolanda affected area is and maybe

medium to low in Guiuan. The weather forecast shows rain the following week, might explain the

medium risk.

Draught code. January and February were generally dry in the Philippine’s. March was expected to give more normal rainfall.

7

Appendix 3. Reported fires from Homonhon Island, the municipality of Guiuan