The challenge of Taal Volcano

TAAL VOLCANO’s eruption on Sunday, January 12, tested the capacity of the media to cover a completely different kind of disaster. Many of those who were called out to the field were too young to have experienced Mt. Pinatubo’s blast in 1991. It also put to test the gains of the disaster community to respond to the catastrophe.

According to the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council’s (NDRRMC) Situation Report: At 2:30 p.m. that day, the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) issued Alert Level 2 on the status of Taal Volcano. The Phivolcs website showed alerts the public could access; these were also communicated to Local Government Units (LGUs).  

24/7 TV including “teleradyo” and online news served as the primary source of information on Taal for the rest of the day, as these platforms tracked updates and the activities of local communities. Renato Solidum, officer-in-charge of Phivolcs, explained the meaning of different Alert levels and possible scenarios. Phivolcs raised the Alert Level 4 at 7:30 p.m, as the volcano continuously spewed ash and a 10-15 kilometer steam column into the sky.

The coverage announced class and work suspensions in areas in Cavite, Batangas, Laguna and then Metro Manila due to the risk of a hazardous eruption and continuous ash fall.

Taal Volcano’s awakening highlighted the might of 24/7 coverage. As disaster strikes, a steady stream of news is critical as the public awaits developments and information on response and relief efforts. Continuous coverage of cable news and online platforms proved reliable during the ongoing crisis, delivering updates from time to time, the status of evacuation and evacuees, and calls for donation. CMFR noted reactions online about the need to immediately explain terms the press picked up such as “phreatic eruption,” “magmatic intrusion,” “pyroclastic flow,” “base surge,” “volcanic tsunami,” and “lake water oscillation”

CMFR monitored the first few days of Taal Volcano coverage in free TV (ABS-CBN 2’s TV Patrol, TV5’s Aksyon, GMA-7’s 24 Oras, CNN Philippines’ Newsroom Weekend and News Night) and print (Philippine Daily Inquirer, The Philippine Star, and Manila Bulletin) from January 12 to 15. The monitor includes hours of dzMM Teleradyo’s coverage on Sunday.

On Monday, January 13, media reported on the evacuation and the extent and dangers of ashfall. The local government of Batangas declared a state of calamity. Media reported on mayors who were active with rescue/relief response.

24/7 and Teleradyo

The Teleradyo format depends mostly on fixed programming with different anchors receiving news from field reporters. The different anchors play an important role in evaluating the significance and relevance of information that may have been aired earlier. The 24/7 format involves repeating such information in the news cycle for the benefit of the audience who tune at different times of the day. Some anchors did well to recall such information.

CMFR noted the scant use of maps in Teleradyo which could have showed the location of provinces and towns in the news. Maps of the affected areas were featured on TV. It should be included as a basic visual reference in all disaster reporting.

Data visualization could enhance the disaster coverage, with its repetition providing for the widest access of the audience looking for the latest news. Research and data visualization could have propped up the hourly program cycle, which unfortunately, slipped into the usual chatter and light banter between anchors. The noise, however, must give way to the value of information, given the gravity of the crisis. This quick adjustment should have been made to serve more effectively as the prime source of real time news and analysis.

Print, online

Print and online utilized the power of visualization, using graphs effectively to describe the different stages of the Taal eruption, the various characteristics as well as possible scenarios. Manila Bulletin published on Thursday, January 16 graphic illustration of what happens during a volcanic eruption.

Coverage picked up on the reactions of national officials; including the president, who on Sunday had neither been seen nor heard from. Situationers from the national agencies such as the Department of Social Welfare and Development and Department of Trade and Industry addressed sectoral issues, such as price gouging, coordination on donations and other aspects of evacuation and relief.

While print obviously was no match for television’s real-time updates, it demonstrated a capacity to pursue leads. Broadsheets reported on the private sector’s providing aid and churches opening their doors to evacuees, with information on water safety amid ash fall on Monday.

In print, the Philippine Daily Inquirer took the lead in examining the need for the use of face masks in Metro Manila. In a report, Dr. Gerry Bagtasa of the University of the Philippines Institute of Environmental Science and Meteorology described the air quality in Metro Manila as currently better than the air quality during the New Year’s eve revelry.

The pattern of following up on information and news that other organizations did is a positive one, as the public should have the best access to information during a crisis. Any news that breaks in one news program should be referenced in the next.   Each news outlet working real time should make sure that they are picking up relevant information for the news audience.

The Inquirer also reported on a community in Calaca, Batangas as saying they evacuated on their own. It is important for the press to also keep track of lapses on the part of government agencies, so responsible officials can be held accountable when the dust settles. Hopefully, the press can keep these issues alive when the time comes; so lessons learned can improve government capacity to cope with any crisis.

At press time, Phivolcs had maintained Alert Level 4. But even as the public waits for the worst and hopes for the best, news must play a role in agenda setting. Information about the possible scenarios should keep government busy so it can best respond to the challenge that lies ahead.