Hope for the best but prepare for the worst

The Philippines is part of the Pacific Ring of Fire. So everytime we watch TV or read the newspapers, we feel thankful that natural and man-made disasters seem to be a common thing in all parts of the world yet, Metro Manila and most of the country have been spared from big disasters. Still, we believe that the country should always be alert for any disaster that may strike and that our citizens should be trained on how, first, to avert disasters; second, what to do if and when disasters strike.

When we say knowing how to avert disasters, we mean taking the proper steps in our homes and offices so that damage will be minimal if, let us say, a typhoon or a temblor strikes. June marks the start of the rainy season, our homes should be ready to cope with the heavy rains that will come and our streets should be prepared to minimize floods. This means that people should not dump their garbage on the estuaries and that the estuaries should always be kept clean. On this score, we were most pleased to read that the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration launched "Typhoon and Flood Awareness Week" by conducting activities that will inform the public as to what each person and home can do to minimize flood casualties and damage. Over 75 percent of the nation’s casualties are due to the floods. This year’s theme is "Preparedness for floods and typhoons ensures security." The worst damage that typhoons cause is first, the homes that are destroyed. Second, are the trees blown down, the mudslides and the floods. The good thing is that, thanks to Padre Faura, we can now predict typhoons and rains in advance.

Another welcome news is that the National Disaster Coordinating Council is now conducting a nationwide earthquake drill that will train a million students from 42,000 public and private schools on what to do if and when they experience an earthquake. That indeed should be part of the training of all Filipinos. It should also include what boys and girls should do in the event of a volcanic eruption. Metro Manila is very fortunate. Most people today do not even recall the last typhoon, earthquake or volcanic eruption that affected the metropolis. In July of 1990, a temblor hit Luzon and thousands died.

We are lucky that for some time now, we have enjoyed peace and order. When we say peace and order, we mean mainly from man-made disasters. This cannot be said of the rest of the world. To add to these, we have also been spared of natural disasters. How fortunate can we get! We should also thank the Lord for His blessings.