Economic losses due to disasters on the rise

KOBE, Japan – While the number of Filipinos who die each year as a result disasters has become less and less over the last 30 years, the economic damage these tragedies brought have increased by 18 times since 1970.

According to Office of Civil Defense director Ronald Flores, an average of P10 billion to P15 billion in economic damages have been caused by the disasters that hit the country annually such as typhoons and floods.

Flores said the amount has been increasing as disasters, especially typhoons that spawn massive flooding have struck the country every year.

German Velasquez, United Nations International Strategy for Disaster Reduction (UNISDR) senior regional coordinator for Asia and the Pacific, said one reason for the lower fatalities is the early warning device alert systems that have been put in place in the country.

‘But the ... economic damage could not just be ignored,” Velasquez said during the opening yesterday of the UNISDR caucus on linking disaster risk reduction and climate change adaption held here in Kobe, Hyogo prefecture.

Government is set to implement the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Act of 2010  and the National Climate Change Act of 2009 which involve joint  planning for both laws, particularly their integration in the local level.

Quezon City vice mayor Josefina “Joy” Alimurung and Mayor Ramon Ilagan of Cainta, Rizal were among the local executives in the UNISDR caucus here in Kobe also participated by Vice Mayor Alfredo Arquillano of San Francisco, Camotes Island, Cebu and provincial board member Plaridel Sanchez VI.

Alimurung cited the  importance of integrating  disaster risk reduction and climate change measures in the local development planning.

Alimurung also pointed out that any day-to-day task carried out by Filipinos such as household chores or backyard gardening actually forms part of the so-called  disaster risk reduction measures.

“It does not need to be that big an effort. We can start with things that we consider simple but could help a lot in disaster risk reduction and even climate change. We can start from there and make people understand the importance of such measures,” Alimurung said.

In a videotaped message to the caucus participants, Sen. Loren Legarda emphasized the importance of bringing to the Filipino people the benefits of disaster risk reduction measures.

“Disaster risk reduction as a fundamental strategy in achieving the millennium development goal (MDG). This caucus would held draw effective strategies to win the battle particularly among the local officials ,”  said Legarda, who has been appointedby the UNISDR as the regional champion on disaster risk reduction and climate change adaption.

The Filipino local officials are also expected to visit important sites  such as the Hyogo Disaster Management Center and flood prevention and control centers while here in Kobe.

According to Emmanuel de Guzman, UNISDR consultant, Kobe has been chosen as venue for the caucus because Hyogo has been the location of the Hanshin-Awaji earthquake on January 17, 1995 which made Japan embark on impressive measures to improve the country’s disaster resilience.

“We hope that the site visits as well as the interactions with experts in here in Kobe would draw inspiration for our local officials to implement such measures in their area,” De Guzman said.