A Wake Up Call

By: Ayra Shane Villacarlos

When Typhoon Mangkhut, locally known as Ompong, entered the Philippine Area of
Responsibility (PAR), it inevitably caused numerous damages in some provinces and parts of the country
with its ravaging maximum winds of 150 kilometers per hour and gustiness of up to 185 kph. Thankfully,
the country has prepared beforehand for the super typhoon.
Every year, our country encounters numerous typhoons—flash floods and heavy rains has
become an ordinary occurrence during the rainy season. Over the decades, people have witnessed
series of typhoons that varied in strength, duration, and impact. Not all typhoons are bearable,
especially those that left misery and devastation due to properties and lives lost.
Most of the destructive typhoons happened around this time in the past. One of the world's
strongest typhoons of the modern era, Super Typhoon Haiyan (Yolanda) knocked down Tacloban City
and areas of Samar and Leyte that took place on November 8, 2013. The tragedy has claimed more than
6,300 lives and over 1,061 people went missing.
Disaster preparedness has been conducted even before Ompong entered PAR. Numerous
warning were given by the Philippine Atmospheric Geophysical and Astronomical Services
Administration (PAGASA). The local government geared up their rescue units in case some residents
need assistance. The local government units have also begun acquiring portable shelters that give
evacuees privacy and comfort in evacuation sites.
Truth to be told, a lot of improvements have been made in our preparedness for natural
hazards. The new equipment issued to PAGASA has allowed improvements in weather forecasting. Early
warning systems and spreading disaster-related information to the public have also made a progress in
the past decades. The Disaster Risk Reduction and Management (DRRM) councils were also
institutionalized to ensure better management and response to disasters.
Nonetheless, there are still numerous problems that remain to be evident. There is still a lack of
sufficient manpower, financial and technical resources that hinder the progress of the efficiency of
DRRM. Awareness with dealing and preparing for disasters also remain low in some regions.
Despite of the inevitable shortcomings, some regions like Cagayan Valley, which would be affected by
Ompong, demonstrated innovations and good practices from prevention to rehabilitation that serves as
models for other localities.
As a nation, we still have a very long way to go. We should all realize that resilience is no longer
enough to deal with the numerous calamities that our country faces. Our country may be prepared but
if people remain ignorant and just rely everything to the government, it's a going to be very useless. It is
always very good and important to be prepared ourselves too in case the unexpected happens. Always
remember that prevention is and will always be better than cure. It's better to be safe and prepared
than to be sorry.