Quezon city: The government launched on Monday an integrated website containing disaster-related information. Called "Handa: The Integrated Platform for Preparedness, Early Warning, and Response," the website is accessible via handa.georisk.gov.ph. The Department of Science and Technology (DOST), through the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs), led the integration of existing platforms into a unified system for early warning, disaster preparedness, and response.
According to Philippines News Agency, during the website launch in Quezon City, DOST Secretary Renato Solidum Jr. stated that the integrated platform aims to bridge the gap in real-time risk intelligence. "One of the most persistent challenges in disaster risk reduction is not the absence of data but the fragmentation of information," he said. Solidum emphasized that data on hazards, exposure, and vulnerability, although plentiful, often remain fragmented across various systems, limiting their utility.
The platform incorporates advisories from Phivolcs, the weather bureau, and the mines and geosciences bureau. It offers near real-time monitoring, location-based alerts, AI-assisted tools, and interactive dashboards. "We developed tools, making risk information more accessible to communities," Solidum added.
Users of the website can report incidents such as flooding, fires, road accidents, or other emergencies to accelerate response coordination and emergency operations. The platform features an SOS alert that allows users to share their location with responders. Additionally, an AI-powered assistant chatbot is available to provide hazard, weather, and location-based safety information.
Solidum highlighted the multidisciplinary approach of the Handa platform, which connects science, governance, and communities. "Through the Handa platform, we are advancing a multidisciplinary approach that connects science, governance, and communities. Together we can ensure that knowledge becomes action, and action becomes resilience," he stated.
