For the past several weeks, Metro Manila and many parts of Luzon have again been battered by monsoon rains and floods. Roads have disappeared under floodwaters, classes and work have been suspended, communities have been evacuated, and thousands of families have watched helplessly as their homes, belongings and livelihoods were damaged.

For many Filipinos, this has become an almost yearly experience. And perhaps that is what should worry us most. We are beginning to treat extraordinary weather as ordinary.

The Philippines has always been vulnerable to typhoons, monsoon rains and flooding. But climate change is changing the conditions under which these hazards occur.

Government climate assessments identify rising temperatures, changing rainfall patterns, stronger or more intense weather events, sea level rise, floods, droughts, and heat waves among the major climate risks confronting the country.

The consequences go far beyond flooded streets.

As shared in my previous column, when work is suspended, daily wage earners lose income. Drivers cannot ply their routes. Vendors cannot sell. Farmers lose their crops. Fishermen cannot go out to sea. Small businesses close temporarily and sometimes permanently. Families living in low-lying communities are forced into evacuation centers, often leaving behind whatever possessions they cannot carry.

And when the waters recede, the problems do not immediately disappear. There are damaged homes, contaminated water, disrupted transportation, lost school days, destroyed appliances, mounting debts and sickness.

Climate change is therefore not simply an environmental issue. It is an economic, social and human issue.

But we should also recognize that not every flood can be blamed on climate change. Our vulnerability is made worse by the way we build and manage our communities. Flooding is exacerbated by urbanization, land use changes, inadequate infrastructure, and clogged waterways.

This means that while we cannot control the weather, we can control how vulnerable we are to it. We need to move from a culture of response to one of preparation.

Climate risk must become part of every major infrastructure and development decision. Roads, bridges, drainage systems, housing projects and public facilities should be designed for the climate we are likely to experience, not the climate we had decades ago.

We need serious investment in drainage, flood control systems, retention ponds, watersheds, and river rehabilitation. Flood management cannot simply mean building higher concrete walls. We must also protect our forests, wetlands, mangroves, and other natural ecosystems that absorb water and protect communities.

Local governments must continue to strengthen early warning and evacuation systems. Communities should know not only when a typhoon is coming, but which neighborhoods are likely to flood, where residents should go, and how quickly they need to evacuate.

We must address the causes of climate change. The transition to renewable energy, energy efficiency, cleaner transportation, sustainable agriculture, and better waste management must be accelerated.

Most importantly, climate resilience must reach the poorest and most vulnerable communities. It is easy to talk about resilience when one has a safe home, savings and a car. For a family whose livelihood depends on earning today’s income, one day of flooding can mean no food tomorrow.

We should not simply teach Filipinos how to survive disasters. We must build a country where fewer Filipinos have to suffer from them in the first place.

The rains will continue to come. Typhoons and monsoon rains will continue to threaten us. Climate change will continue to test our preparedness.

The real question is whether, by the time the next great flood comes, we will still be saying, “ganito talaga sa Pilipinas” (it’s really this way in the Philippines), or whether we will finally be able to declare, “We are prepared.”