CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY (PIA) — The Department of Science and Technology-Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (DOST-PHIVOLCS), in partnership with Don Mariano Marcos Memorial State University (DMMSU)-South La Union campus and University of the Philippines (UP)-Visayas campus, launched the DANAS Project Earthquake and Volcano Sourcebooks during the 2024 National Science, Technology, and Innovation Week hosted by Cagayan de Oro on November 28.
Director Teresito C. Bacolcol of DOST-PHIVOLCS said Project DANAS, which stands for ‘Documenting the Affected Narratives of Survivors,’ promotes a community-centered approach to disaster resilience, highlighting real-life lessons and fostering awareness to better prepare for future calamities.
“The DANAS Project exemplifies our commitment to enhancing disaster risk reduction and effective science communication by integrating local knowledge into our strategies. Through understanding the survivor narratives of volcanic eruptions, earthquakes, and tsunamis, we were able to develop localized sourcebooks and audiovisual presentations that will hopefully serve as a reference for science communicators, educators, local government units, and other DRR practitioners,” he said.
The project compiles firsthand accounts and experiential knowledge of past disasters, highlighting the role of local languages like Cebuano, Hiligaynon, Kapampangan, and Tagalog in effectively communicating science and warnings during earthquakes, tsunamis, and volcanic eruptions.
Secretary Renato Solidum Jr. said the DOST delivers disaster knowledge in local languages to ensure messages resonate more deeply and improve emergency communication. The project bridges scientific expertise with community experiences, enhancing preparedness and response.
“By using the voices of survivors and presenting these hazards in local languages, the sourcebooks make the complex-relatable, the abstract-tangible, and the technical-accessible. Describing geologic hazards in scientific terms is one thing. Explaining how these processes manifest on the ground, how they would feel, or how they would sound is another. These sourcebooks bridge that gap. They translate the language of science into the language of the public,” the DOST secretary said.
The DANAS Project strengthens disaster resilience by using culturally relevant communication to enhance public understanding of scientific phenomena. Blending narratives with scientific data empowers communities to prepare for, mitigate, and recover from earthquakes, tsunamis, and volcanic eruptions.
DOST-PHIVOLCS will launch the Kapampangan and Tagalog editions of the sourcebooks on December 9, 2024, at the PHIVOLCS Auditorium in Quezon City, following the release of the Cebuano and Hiligaynon versions with educational videos. The sourcebooks, available for free download on the DOST-PHIVOLCS website https://www.phivolcs.dost.gov.ph, aim to equip all regions with vital knowledge for understanding and responding to natural disasters. (JAKA/PIA-10)
