Abstract
In November 2013, Typhoon Yolanda (Haiyan) struck the central part of the Philippines and caused devastating damage to coastal settlements and infrastructure. The authors conducted a field survey about one month after the disaster to understand the behavior of government authorities and local residents during the event, by gathering existing information and interviewing local residents and officials, mainly in the islands of Layte and Samar. The main conclusions of the analysis carried out can be summarized as follows: 1) the government disseminated information, including a disaster warning and evacuation instructions, in line with the rules preset by the government, however, 2) there was an issue on the information dissemination through the government channel, 3) there was also some issues related to the level of knowledge and awareness by local residents on what is a “storm surge”, the threat it posed, and the necessity for evacuation, and 4) the present study indicates that it is necessary to inform the public more clearly and realistically about the exact nature of the disaster phenomenon.
