TO EFFECTIVELY manage, reduce and prevent disaster risks, knowledge must be translated into practice. We should not assume that science, research and the tools they offer will just automatically find their way into the drawing boards of policymakers, planners, and those charged to lead action in building more resilient communities.
We have seen how action, oftentimes, are guided by what is popular, by what is easiest to undertake, or by least cost considerations. This has to change. We need to accept the fact that the disaster risk landscape requires a more focused, evidence-based assessment of hazards, vulnerability and disaster risks – and this can only be done through science.
We must learn from our experience with super typhoon “Yolanda.” An assessment of Tacloban, which greatly bore the brunt of the storm’s impact, showed that the city’s location was highly susceptible to disaster risks. The geohazard map for Tacloban showed a province massively covered by color purple on its outskirts and red within – meaning to say, the coastal areas were susceptible to flooding, while the inland was highly susceptible to landslides. The map’s color coding scheme represented susceptibility to landslides and flooding; but the people of Tacloban came to know of that only after the fact.
Days before “Yolanda” hit land, there were public warnings from the weather bureau and preemptive evacuation was carried out in the coastal areas. Emergency relief resources were also prepared and prepositioned. But, seeing the devastation caused by “Yolanda,” such preparations were not enough.
We cannot submit ourselves to utter helplessness in the face of mounting disaster risks. We need to be in control, and the only way that can happen is to embrace the lessons learned from “Yolanda” and to move forward not just with the resolve, but also with the tools to do better. Government and businesses cannot just be enablers of research. They need to be users of the knowledge that science and technology create.
Government and businesses need to reach out to scientists and academic institutions. In the same way, scientists and the research community will also need to communicate the practical value of what they are doing. Our biggest challenges include those of getting all hands on deck, providing the resources to make science work for building resilient communities and businesses, and translating knowledge into practice.
