Ondoy, Pepeng bring back sad memories to Bicolanos

Sorsogon City, Philippines – The massive destruction brought by tropical storm “Ondoy” and typhoon “Pepeng” in Metro Manila and across northern Luzon recently brought back memories of the havoc wreaked by typhoons “Milenyo” and “Reming” in the Bicol region three years ago, Sorsogon Gov. Sally Lee.

In September 2006, Milenyo battered Metro Manila and Bicol, and a few months later, super typhoon Reming pummeled the region, bringing untold suffering to the residents of Albay and Sorsogon, recalled Lee in an interview with reporters here.

Lee said heavy rains and strong winds triggered mudslides and lahar flows that swept through villages at the foot of Mayon Volcano, killing nearly a thousand people and destroying houses, school buildings, bridges and other infrastructure.

“We were trying to rebuild from what typhoon Milenyo had left us when typhoon Reming hit us so hard and left the province destroyed by 90 percent,” Lee said, likening the twin calamities to Ondoy and Pepeng, which left hundreds of people dead in Metro Manila and Luzon and submerged houses in several feet of floodwaters and mud last Sept. 26 and early October.

Three years after Milenyo and Reming, Lee said the Bicol region, particularly the provinces of Albay and Sorsogon, has gotten virtually back on its feet.

She admitted though that almost 5,000 people in three Sorsogon towns need permanent relocation to prevent loss of lives during calamities.

In cooperation with Oxfam-GB, Lee said the provincial government has been working on programs on disaster risk reduction.

Oxfam-GB is involved in livelihood, education, and disaster work, and ensures that poor communities have access to and control of their assets.

Oxfam International comprises 14 like-minded organizations working with partners around the world to bring about lasting change.

Both Oxfam and the provincial government continue their efforts to educate the public on how to prepare for and cope with the effects of disasters.

Oxfam and the provincial government believe that natural calamities like typhoons, earthquakes and floods are brought by climate change, prompting them to initiate programs to look at how climate change has affected people and find ways to reduce the destruction.

Kalayaan Constantino, Oxfam-GB program coordinator, said people at risk could depend on an early warning system, regularly practicing actions to be taken and reducing or avoiding the impact of hazards.

She said early warning information must be accessible to all.

Gil Sarmiento of Oxfam said residents who need permanent relocation are those from the towns of Donsol, Magallanes and Irosin.

In Donsol, he said some 1,700 residents in Barangay Banuang Guang face threats of floods and storm surges, while 2,000 villagers in Barangay Incarizan in Magallanes town face risks of landslides and flooding.

“About 1,200 residents in Barangay Cogon in Irosin town are prone to landslides, mudflows and floods due to the eruption of Mayon Volcano,” he added.

Lee said they are trying to establish a permanent relocation site for each of the 14 towns in the province.

In a lecture over the weekend, Edna Juanillo, assistant weather services chief of the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration, said that between 1992 and 2001, climate-related disasters killed 622,000 people and affected two billion people globally.

Jaunillo said studies suggest that the number of weather-related disasters has increased threefold over the past 30 years.