The unique ways Filipinos are protecting their homes against floods
MANILA — Every year at least eight typhoons smash into the Philippines, an archipelago and former U.S. colony in the Pacific Ocean. As the climate changes around the world, the storms are getting worse — and most of this nation of 109 million live in their path.
Extreme weather events are expected to worsen globally, and the country is at the forefront of the crisis, with towns and cities made especially vulnerable due to poor urban planning and inadequate drainage systems. Homeowners in the country’s precarious middle class, who don’t necessarily have the funds to relocate, are left largely on their own to cope and find ways to protect their possessions. Residents have learned to add features to their homes such as flood dikes, elevated floors and — in one case — a floating garage.
Tropical cyclones since 2017
Conson
100 MILES
Philippine
Sea
Vamco
Category 1
(2021)
LUZON
Category 4
(2020)
Goni
Manila
Category 5
(2020)
PHILIPPINES
Tropical cyclones since 2017
Conson
100 MILES
Philippine
Sea
Vamco
Category 1
(2021)
LUZON
Category 4
(2020)
Goni
South
China Sea
Manila
Category 5
(2020)
PHILIPPINES
Tropical cyclones since 2017
PHILIPPINES
Conson
LUZON
Category 1 (2021)
Philippine
Sea
Vamco
Category 4 (2020)
Goni
Manila
Category 5 (2020)
South
China Sea
100 MILES
Last year alone, tropical cyclones in the Philippines left over 100 dead and caused $662 million in damage. In a 2018 study by the Harvard Humanitarian Initiative, over 75 percent of Filipinos reported being affected by heavy rains, tropical cyclones, floods and earthquakes in a five-year period. In the same study, almost half said their homes had been damaged at one time by a natural disaster.
Flood hazard based on
topographic and rainfall data
Malabon
Navotas
Marikina
Manila
Bay
Manila
Laguna
Lake
Flood hazard based on topographic and rainfall data
Valenzuela
Navotas
Malabon
Quezon City
Marikina
Manila
Bay
Manila
Pasig
Makati
Pasay
Taguig
Laguna
Lake
Paranaque
Flood hazard based on topographic and rainfall data
Valenzuela
Malabon
Navotas
Quezon City
Marikina
Caloocan
Manila
Bay
Manila
San Juan
Mandaluyong
Pasig
Makati
Pasay
Taguig
Laguna
Lake
Paranaque
By all accounts, the floods are only getting worse. Scientists blame climate change for the erratic and early rains in northeastern India and Bangladesh that led to June’s massive flooding there. At the same time, more than 1,000 miles away, in China’s southern province of Guangdong, tens of thousands have been evacuated by the worst flooding in decades.
Any solutions on climate change will be years in the making. In the meantime, people in many areas will face a lot more water, without the option of relocating. “It becomes a personal responsibility,” architect Leandro Poco said of making houses more flood-proof if the means are available. “They do not want to evacuate.”
For those outside the Philippines, these steps can offer lessons in adaptation as floods increase and sea levels rise around the world.
Raising the foundation
Some residents lift their houses far above sidewalk level to delay the entrance of floodwaters. They also build upward, adding additional floors to their homes, though this requires a strong foundation.
A strong shell
Homeowners are building an impenetrable shell for their houses by reinforcing corners and openings to prevent wind and water penetration.
Water-compatible materials
Residents “wet-proof” their homes by protecting walls with a waterproof coating. They also use water-resistant material such magnesium oxide for plasterboard, and swap fixed carpets for rugs, which can be rolled.
A sacrificial ground floor
Many homeowners have given up their ground floors. This means keeping the space minimalist. Furniture is either heavyweight and water resistant — such as steel or stone, easily cleaned after a flood — or lightweight, easily brought upstairs.
‘Flipping the house’
Many have also moved their kitchens and utility areas to the upper floors, to protect food as well as expensive appliances such as refrigerators and washing machines.
Elevated power sockets
To avoid electrocution, homeowners are moving electrical outlets to higher points. They are also installing a split circuit breaker that allows the electricity to be turned off just on the ground floor.
Fire exit
People have also added roof access to await rescue by boat or helicopter, should the waters keep rising.
Using rainwater
Collecting rainwater, whether by hand or with the use of special machines, is used for flushing toilets, washing cars and in the event of a shortage of potable water.
Solar power
Homeowners have invested in solar power, as storms can leave neighborhoods without electricity for extended periods.
Bridges to next door
Closely connected communities can build makeshift bridges along the roofs connecting the residences, so that people can move back and forth above the waters or escape to buildings with higher floors.
Some traits of resilient housing — including elevated floors, windows designed for natural ventilation and more — are reflected in traditional Filipino homes, said Vinson Serrano, instructor at the University of Santo Tomas College of Architecture. But these concepts were often shunned in the shift to Western materials and styles.
When borrowing some of these ideas for one’s locale, “you can’t just copy-paste,” says Edward Barsley of the Environmental Design Studio, based in Britain, and author of “Retrofitting for Flood Resilience: A Guide to Building and Community Design.” The key is to organize as a community.
“Speak to and work with your neighbors,” said Barsley. “Maybe you could share the cost of some of these measures … and protect and make resilient a larger block of buildings.”
Houses sit on stilts in Malabon, the Philippines, on June 3, 2022. Stilts are commonly used to raise homes in impoverished seaside rural communities around the country. (Photos by Martin San Diego for The Washington Post)
Community and shared space is much stronger in informal settlements, said architect Paulo Alcazaren, who co-authored “Squatter City,” a book about these spaces. He emphasized that renovations are well and good but only a symptom of a larger issue. “Unless you change the larger context of governance, you cannot solve anything,” he said. “The scale of the problem cannot be solved by individual homeowners doing something to retrofit their homes.”
While the middle class can renovate, the poor in the Philippines are left mostly to rebuild from scratch after each disaster. Many live in slums, with homes that are little more than clusters of dense, makeshift shanties made from upcycled material.
One community at the forefront of the climate crisis lies between the cities of Malabon and Navotas in the capital region — a cluster of neighborhoods near Manila Bay that is vulnerable to typhoons and rising sea levels. Before a storm, residents tie roofs down with rope, raise the stilts of their homes and then evacuate — returning to inspect the damage afterward.
Starting at around 10 a.m., high tide seeps into the community, flooding it with ankle-deep water. The house of Elena Ku, 49, is submerged with seawater all year long. She cannot afford to raise the whole foundation, so her solution has been to raise the bathroom. Every day, she scoops up water that has gotten into the house and flushes it down the toilet. Ku also has a water pump that she occasionally rents to neighbors, but she does not use it too often due to electricity charges. A makeshift bridge made of a plank and soft-drink cases leads into and out of the house.
Pablo Rosales, a resident and president of the fishing organization Pangisda Pilipinas, said relocation efforts do not work for the community because locals have to be near the sea for their livelihoods. Many homes have abandoned their ground floors but, like Ku, struggle with daily inconveniences.
As the district struggles with rising sea levels, pollution and the threat of commercial establishments, Rosales said residents need “a true, formal settlement” to have agency over their homes. “It hurts us to be the people who put fish on the table for others,” he said, while living in such conditions.
By midafternoon the saltwater flooding the streets starts to recede, but it will be back the next day.