Preparing for storms
As if we have not had enough of these devastating two storms in succession, another tropical storm named ‘Queenie’ has entered the Philippine Area of Responsibility.
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As if we have not had enough of these devastating two storms in succession, another tropical storm named ‘Queenie’ has entered the Philippine Area of Responsibility.
No sooner after typhoon "Carding" left the places on its path with damaged properties, crops, and casualties, tropical storm "Paeng" came slamming many parts of Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao. Its heavy rains and strong winds were no match to the houses of light materials that were blown over, leaving their occupants homeless. The continuous torrential rains brought floods that swept through barangays, submerging roads and destroying bridges, forcing residents of low-lying areas to flee for their lives, landing in evacuation centers. Others not lucky enough drowned, while many more were buried in landslides.
Deaths from storm "Paeng" is reportedly nearing one hundred. The probability of human casualties increasing is a certainty as officials in Eastern Visayas and the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao reported that more than 60 persons were missing.
Flash floods took the lives of 53 persons in Maguindanao and other BARMM provinces, 19 more in Western Visayas while in Cavite, Laguna, Batangas, Rizal, and Quezon 12 fatalities were reported.
The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council reported that dozens more were injured as the Western Mindanao Command search and operations showed the death toll in Central (Region 12 or SOCCSKSARGEN) and Western Mindanao (Region 9 or Zamboanga Peninsula, and BARMM) has reached 60 with 25 persons missing.
A heart-rending incident report from the rescuers of the Bangsamoro Rapid Emergency Action on Disaster Incidence stated that among the bodies they retrieved was a three-month-old infant whose mother and grandparents also died in the landslide.
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A total of 590,990 families or 1,953,814 individuals in 5,108 barangays all over the country, Metro Manila included, have been adversely affected, according to NDRRMC. Out of the number, 83,423 families or 309,318 individuals are presently sheltered in 4,024 evacuation centers in the provinces.
The estimated damage cost in the ravaged areas especially Bicol could reach P435,4 million.
NDRRMC also placed the number of farmers and fishermen affected by the continuous and heavy rainfall that destroyed crops, farm machinery and equipment, and infrastructures, to a whopping 24,813. It assessed the damage to infrastructures in the affected regions to almost a billion pesos.
As if we have not had enough of these devastating two storms in succession, another tropical storm named "Queenie" has entered the Philippine Area of Responsibility. The Philippine Atmospheric Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration said the new weather turbulence will make a landfall on Friday but it seems that it is already affecting the country as gloomy weather paints the horizon and the rains have started to pour. The Caraga Administrative Region (northeastern section of Mindanao), Eastern Visayas, and Bicol are expected to experience light and moderate with at times heavy rains, per PAGASA.
Meanwhile, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has directed the mobilization of all the executive departments to provide immediate and appropriate aid to the victims of the calamity, to ensure that power is restored to the affected areas. Aside from providing food, water, and medicine to the victims especially those relocated to the evacuation centers, he also ordered to clear roads of debris, repairing damaged bridges, facilitating the release of calamity funds, improving on pre-emptive measures to minimize the destruction, and throw the resources of the government in normalizing the daily activities in the devastated areas.
The detractors of the President, as usual and as expected, pummelled him with insinuations of not being in the country as typhoon Paeng furiously struck the archipelago. Last Sunday afternoon the hashtag "NasaanAngPangulo" or "Where is the President?" — was trending on Twitter. He was being criticized as a leader missing in action during a crisis. It will be recalled that former President Rodrigo Roa Duterte was subjected to the same hashtag during his time.
Of course, like his predecessor, the President was working and directing operations to his Cabinet members and heads of offices and agencies to fully and efficiently respond to the crisis at the time his detractors were asking where he was. He is not obliged to call the media to cover him while he is performing his presidential duties.
The President, in an ambush interview the other day, observed that there must have been some lapses in preparation for the coming calamity and in not anticipating the extent of the flood that resulted in huge loss of properties and lives.
Given that natural disasters are common and regular occurrences in the country, it behooves the national government and local government units to be always on their toes and prepared.
Measures geared toward protecting the population must be in place to shield them from harm and destruction.
Accurate forecasting of incoming storms and other natural catastrophes must be enhanced. So is the dissemination of information and call for the people to observe safety protocols with the government machinery in full blast, in effecting these safety necessaries and measures.
