As Invisible as Wind, as Formless as Water

The Philippine archipelago has a long history of both weather-related myths and battles with extreme weather. Warning bulletins focus on the different hazards that weather hazards can bring, and scientists and public officials alike constantly reprimand citizens for not evacuating despite these detailed bulletins. In this paper, the author looks back on her research in risk communication across different locations in the country and examines how people articulate wind and water as hazards. The author contends that the wind and water are blended into each other as a hazard, as part of a world where risks are embedded into each other’s fluid meanings rather than entangled as discernible elements. Warning bulletins that treat hazards as elements rather than enmeshed dangers are therefore not always understood.