VULNERABILITY ASSESSMENT TO CLIMATE-INDUCED HAZARDS OF THE MUNICIPALITY OF MASINLOC, ZAMBALES, PHILIPPINES

Abstract. The Philippines is surrounded by hundreds of kilometers of shorelines wherein communities are increasing and coastal development is emerging fast. Masinloc, Zambales is a coastal municipality wherein 11 out of 13 barangays are situated near the coast which are always affected by climate-induced hazards. The objectives of this study were to assess and validate the climate-induced hazards occurring in Masinloc and assessed the vulnerability of the coastal municipality to these various hazards. Detailed profiling was done to identify hazards of the study area. Vulnerability maps were generated and results revealed that flooding, storm surge and landslide were the most prominent hazards in the area. Results of the vulnerability assessment revealed that Masinloc was moderately vulnerable to storm surge and flooding due to low exposure and sensitivity to flooding and storm surge while its adaptive capacity was very high. Majority of settlements, agricultural lands and population are affected by these hazards. Priority programs to reduce the sensitivity and exposure to storm surge and flooding should be carried out.