In relation to typhoon Sendong, for the short-term: Media coverage needs to be thorough and preventative. The weather report was forecasted a week before landfall, but there was no widespread coverage on radio, tv, newspaper or other mass comm tools (like text messaging) to prepare the citizens of Mindanao, Cebu, Bohol, Siquijor and Negros. All media outlets could have broadcast ‘what to do in case of typhoon’ stories and information (as residents of Luzon know well!). How best to prepare (stock water, food, fuel, clear drainage). Which areas to be evacuated (river banks, shoreline, etc.). And what to do if the storm comes during the night? Or water is covering the roadway? There is a wealth of material gained from the many storms that have hit the Philippines before – but unfortunately – we weren’t taking the weather forecast seriously enough. A little more preparation might have gone a long way.
Long-term: Local government needs to rezone flood plains, to discourage development for human habitation. Development in these areas will always be at risk, but the impact is far more damaging when it involves residential areas. And if squatting is not allowed on riverbanks, there must be alternate space made available on safer grounds for poor families with no land of their own.
Amy Villanueva
Humanitarian Aid, Int’l Studies BA
Willamette University
“There are smart and responsible ways to build and do business. Other countries have done it, why can’t we? You solve the greed, and we can avoid future tragic deaths.” — Ana Patrice Ceniza-Montebon
“We learned our lesson from the February 2009 flood that disaster preparations have to be barangay-based.”— Amlan Mayor Bentham dela Cruz
“We are deeply disturbed and angry, and livid because much of the death and destruction were preventable. It’s a tragedy of life and of mind, body and soul, and a tragedy of how we manage our affairs as a nation… The recent calamity was not a calamity of nature. Nature acts according to God’s immutable laws of the universe. The calamity is because we tampered with nature and molested nature. We have overwhelmed nature with our sinfulness. We have deformed God’s creation and diminished its ability to maintain a balance and harmony of life. We have been abusing nature (and abusing the grace of God) to feed our greed and avarice. We have dismantled the fragile and sensitive infrastructure of life support systems in our planet. And now, life itself is threatened and put at risk. We are losing not just lives, but also how the phenomenon of life can continue to exist in our world. Nature is the victim. We are the culprits. If many died, it is because we have been killing nature.” — Ben S. Malayang III (Full text of Christmas Day sermon at http://beta.su.edu.ph/article/344-It039s-Christ)
“Our earth speaks to us, and we must listen if we want to survive.” — Pope Benedict XVI
