JULY is National Disaster Consciousness Month by virtue of Executive Order No. 137 signed on Aug. 10, 1999 by then President Joseph Estrada to raise public awareness on the importance of being prepared for disasters man-made and natural. The goal is to prod communities to heighten resilience.
But exactly how? Local government units (LGUs) holds the key. They should implement environmental laws to build resilience and reduce disaster risks. Disaster preparedness should be the core of governance in building sustainably progressive and inclusive communities.
True, there have been improvements through the years, particularly in the issuance of weather advisories and early warnings and enforcement of early evacuation, but more needs to be done. We need to continuously conduct massive education and information campaign on disaster preparedness so that communities do not remain complacent.
We need to ensure that in rebuilding communities, we are not rebuilding the risks again. We must reduce the risks and not create new risks. If a community is prone to landslides, consult the geohazard map to see where relocation is possible; otherwise, we will continue to incur damages and rebuild again when natural hazards occur. That is certainly not a mark of resilience. In coastal communities, there should be mangrove reforestation because mangroves sequester carbon and are good buffers for storm surge and tsunami.
Studies have confirmed that our economic losses from disasters, especially from climate change impacts, have been far greater than before. This should further compel us to reduce disaster risks and address climate impacts by integrating these measures in our strategies and plans.
The report “Economic Losses, Poverty and Disasters 1998-2017” released by the United Nations stated that from 1998 to 2017, countries reported direct economic losses of $2,908 billion, with climate-related disasters accounting for 77 percent or $2,245 billion — a “dramatic” rise of 151 percent from climate-related losses compared to the period of 1978 to 1997 ($895 billion).
The study also reported that in low-income countries, an average of 130 people died per million living in disaster-affected areas, compared to just 18 in high-income countries, which entails that people exposed to natural hazards in the poorest nations were more than seven times more likely to die than equivalent populations in the richest nations.
The UN report reflects the unfortunate reality that many poor Filipinos experience. Poverty breeds inequality by exacerbating our people’s risk and vulnerability to disaster and climate impacts.
Our authorities in all levels must fully understand and appreciate the risk and vulnerability that prevail in their communities, and let science inform their local plans of action and ensure that investments build local resilience and bring about a safer society and a more sustainable future.
