Hindsight is better than no sight at all

Despite some form of preparations made by local governments that initiated evacuation efforts, and the AFP and PNP units mobilized for immediate deployment to mount search, rescue and relief efforts, no one ever expected the staggering devastation wrought by Super Typhoon Yolanda that left behind a horrific trail of death and destruction. Bloated corpses, shattered homes and buildings that remind one of dollhouses crushed underfoot by a giant, people walking around in a daze just like the zombies in The Walking Dead series, children shivering with cold and crying for food – there are no words sufficient enough to describe the misery and desolation that seems to have enveloped the areas especially in Tacloban that bore the brunt of the “world’s most powerful tropical storm” to hit this year.

While typhoons, floods, earthquakes, volcanic eruptions and other natural disasters are no longer surprising in a country like the Philippines located along a typhoon belt and the Pacific Ring of Fire, it is the first time for many Filipinos to witness this kind of massive disaster from a tropical storm whose force has been described as three times more destructive than Hurricane Katrina – the deadliest and costliest hurricane to hit the US in 2005 that left close to 2,000 fatalities with damages estimated at $75 billion in New Orleans and the Mississippi Coast. 

What made Yolanda’s onslaught so destructive was the storm surge – said to be one of the greatest threats to life and property for areas located along the coast –described by experts as an abnormal rise in water levels generated by a storm that can cause extreme flooding, compounded by waves that can inflict very heavy damage to buildings and structures that are not built to withstand such force. The first time many Filipinos heard of “storm surge” was in 2011 when Typhoon Pedring caused a storm surge “as high as coconut trees,” inundating buildings along Roxas Boulevard including the US Embassy and Hotel Sofitel.

No doubt the storm surge that hit Tacloban City – said to be two storeys high – was more powerful with Yolanda packing maximum sustained winds of 314 kilometers per hour with gusts of 379 kilometers per hour. What made it even worse was that Tacloban City was inundated by two bodies of water coming from opposite directions, with the first wave coming westward from the Pacific Ocean through Tacloban Bay then eastward from Cancabato Bay, those familiar with the area described.

Considering the miserable conditions of the people with desperation, hunger and helplessness driving many to loot shops, warehouses and stores in search of food, water, blankets, clothes, I was disgusted to hear about the rather unchristian-like nasty comments from some Filipinos playing the blame game while the rest of the world was rushing to send humanitarian relief for the victims. As an exasperated local resident of Tacloban said, these people better put up or shut up!

Our friend, US Embassy Military Attaché Rick Matton, assured us that the United States is sending aircraft and vessels to support search and rescue efforts and airlift medical and emergency supplies. Many private corporations are conducting relief and donation drives, and one of those at the forefront is the MVP Group of Manny Pangilinan that has a seasoned search-and-rescue team from Philex Mining Corp. According to MVP Media Bureau chief Mike Toledo, the TV5 telethon generated P30.5 million for Typhoon Yolanda victims, while the Tulong Kapatid Center has dispatched a truckload of relief items for victims in Samar and Sorsogon.  In fact, MVP dispatched the two company choppers – an Agusta 319 and a Bell 427 used exclusively by MVP Group executives – to lend logistical support for the transfer of critical rescue and relief equipment as well as relief packages for the hard-hit areas.

Clearly, we are seeing the deadly consequences of climate change as Sen. Loren Legarda has been warning for the longest time, and woe to those who still refuse to learn the lessons from these tragic disasters that have hit our nation recently, from the floods to the 7.2 magnitude earthquake and now, Yolanda. God forbid but, should something similar happen to Metro Manila, the chaos and the extent of the destruction would be much worse than what we are seeing in Tacloban City today with its 200,000 residents – considering Metro Manila’s 14 million population. 

In an article by Nessim Ahmad, director for Environment and Safeguards division of the Asian Development Bank, he noted the susceptibility of coastal cities in Asia, including Metro Manila, which he said is “one of seven cities globally judged to be at extreme risk from the combined impacts of climate change and climate related disasters,” warning of increasingly severe and frequent tropical cyclones that could cost billions of dollars annually. 

“Our cities are growing by 120,000 people each day, which places severe water stress in water supply, sanitation, flood control and public transport systems that are already woefully overstretched. ADB estimates that almost $8 trillion are needed for infrastructure investment in the region through 2020, much of which will be needed in urban areas,” he said – all of which underscore the need for government to build infrastructure that could withstand the ravages of climate change. “The point is new infrastructure needs to be conceived and planned to minimize exposure and vulnerability of ever-expanding populations of climate related disasters,” Ahmad stressed, adding that governments should make the right choices.

More often than not, hindsight is painful because it only comes after tragedy has happened – but its lessons should serve as useful reminders that can give people the foresight to be better prepared and not end up as fools who forget the painful lessons of the past. Typhoon Yolanda is a bitter lesson to learn from.

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