Learning Painful Lessons! ‘Typhoon Yolanda’ Taught Us To Prepare For The Unforeseen

Tomorrow, the nation marks the 8th Year Anniversary of the worst disaster to ever hit the country, the Super Typhoon Haiyan which claimed thousands of lives.

It was a disaster made worse by the failure of government to prepare in spite of the warnings that Haiyan, also known locally as Typhoon Yolanda, was expected to be a Super Typhoon.

While for many, the pain may have eased and the sad memories had faded, Typhoon Haiyan must be remembered as a great, albeit painful, lesson on calamity preparedness.

There had been great improvements, especially with the manner the Department of Social Welfare and Development under this administration adopted food pre-positioning and evacuation of people prior to typhoon landfalls.

President Rodrigo Duterte, a former mayor who was trained in handling disasters, and Secretary Rolando Bautista, a disciplined former army general, should be credited for this great improvement in disaster preparedness.

A lot of things could still be improved, however, especially in the storage of food in areas vulnerable to calamity and disaster.

In a world conference on Climate Change Adaptation in Piura, Peru in 2016, where I represented the Philippines, I presented the concept of establishing Food Depots in disaster prone areas.

There should also be a major overhaul of the country’s power supply distribution system, especially in the provinces located in the Eastern Seaboard.

The establishment of Food Depots would prevent a repeat of what happened in the Yolanda devastated areas which were marooned for weeks and people suffered hunger for so many days.

The National Electrification Administration (NEA) should also consider requiring electric cooperatives in the eastern part of the country to start an underground cabling system to avoid the disruption of power supply because of fallen electric posts.

As we learn lessons from Yolanda, let us mark tomorrow’s anniversary by praying for the souls of those who perished and sharing our sympathies to those who lost loved ones in the disaster.

#LearningPainfulLessons!

#RememberJosephTheDreamer!

(This video taken in front of the Daniel Romualdez Airport in Tacloban City this morning serves as my tribute to the victims of Typhoon Yolanda.)