Technology Alone Will Not Help You, Preparedness Will

Earthquakes and typhoons won’t wait for an app to load. What will save your life is your readiness. Technology exists, but without preparedness, it wouldn’t be enough.

“Technology alone is not enough”, DOST Secretary Renato Solidium Jr. said in the opening of the 2025 HANDA Pilipinas sa Bagong Pilipinas at Newtown Convention Center, Baguio City. With technology, we have tools such as hazard maps, early warning alert systems, AI-powered risk analytics, and much more. But LGUs and the local communities themselves play a crucial role in preventing disaster risks.

Handa Pilipinas sa Bagong Pilipinas event showcased several local technologies, such as the GeoRiskPH, which maps out hazard zones like active fault lines, landslide-prone areas, and flood zones. They also highlighted Dynaslope — a tech that uses sensors to detect early signs of landslides. The event also gave way to the Cordillera DREAM project — an initiative to use “big data” and AI to help with risk analysis and disaster reduction in Cordillera region.

But all of these will only be useful if people actually know how to use them. A hazard map won’t save lives if the residents don’t know how to use it. An alert system wouldn’t help if a family has no evacuation plans. This is where preparedness becomes crucial.

Local Government Units should unite the public with science ‐ conduct drills, make campaigns. They should encourage the citizens to think of preparedness like a responsibility, not just something the government expects.

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