Saturday, January 4, 2020

Childhood in the Path of Typhoon By: Cecilia M. Brainard

Typhoon is a serious matter, It brings disaster, It can damage people lives, animals, houses. Because of typhoon they are classes that are postponed. It can bring a big distraction. Typhoon have signs when it is approaching. It can bring worries to everyone.

 The typhoon Yolanda was one of history’s strongest recorded typhoons, shattering coastal communities in central Philippine islands of Visayas and completely inundating local government units (LGU) in places such as Tacloban City. As stated by C. Brainard, "It has been painful to see images of villages destroyed, of people wandering around in the midst of all the rubble, of survivors holding up signs begging for food and water". In the Childhood in the Path of Typhoons by Cecilia Brainard, she discussed about how she grew up and lived in the midst of the typhoons. Moreover, she also talked about what happened in typhoon Yolanda and the aftermath. But, what really went wrong? What should be the better plan for the government that could reduce the destruction of typhoon Yolanda?  The Shortcomings.  In its 2014 report released last Sept. 10, the COA said P382.072 million in local and foreign cash donations for the victims of Super typhoon “Yolanda” was kept idle and locked in DSWD bank accounts. The amount, according to the state auditor, is one-third of the P1.151 billion that the DSWD received during the period November 2013-December 2014—unused funds that could have been maximized to cover the survivors’ immediate needs.The COA noted as well that the DSWD had as much as P141.084 million worth of undistributed, expired, or about-to-expire family food packs consisting of rice, canned goods, instant noodles and coffee.Aquino’s overarching argument was that the national government did the best that it could within the confines of its constitutional responsibility as well as institutional capacity, but the sheer strength of the typhoon was just too overwhelming. Ahead of the storm’s landfall, the government claims to have evacuated up to 800,000 people from vulnerable areas, while constantly issuing warnings to and coordinating efforts with various LGUs, especially in places such as Cebu and Bohol, which were hit by an earthquake in 2013.But for many critics, the national government should have been even more proactive and vigilant, given the relative underdevelopment of LGUs and precisely because of the rising intensity of natural calamities due to climate change.The first lesson is that, national agencies and the international community need to be ready to respond to multiple natural disasters each year in the Philippines. The country is one of the world’s most disaster-prone. Typhoon Haiyan was the third crisis to hit the country in two months, following conflict in Zamboanga and an earthquake in Bohol, which combined displaced 750,000 people. This meant that response services including national and international agencies and the Philippine army were already stretched. A second lesson is that, in any emergency response, aid agencies need to be prepared for the situation on the ground. Foreign medical teams need to bring enough food, water, shelter, fuel and communications equipment to be self-sufficient, particularly in areas that are physically cut off and where communications are poor or non-existent. Third lesson is that, serious warnings and more effective evacuations along the coastline could have saved many lives. GIZ, which has been involved in disaster risk management in several areas across the country, is now working with the United Nations Development Programme, the UP-National Institute of Geological Sciences (UP-NIGS), among others, to create a new map that would show the inundation or affected areas due to Yolanda.The Philippines faces multiple natural disasters each year, and to respond to them we need to have the right emergency services and systems in place. As the time pass by, chances of having a typhoon stronger than Yolanda is high. We should strive hard and lend a hand to each other for this is our country.

 We all know that Philippines is prone to typhoons and other some calamities because it lies Astrid the typhoon belt and Philippines is surrounded by bodies of water and it is near the Pacific ocean. The story tell us how typhoon Yolanda one of the strongest and deadliest typhoon that ever recorded in the Philippines, And because of this typhoon many properties and things are damaged.

 Every storm comes in our country we should stay at home to avoid risk. Always prepare yourself if the typhoon came we should stay alert .

Written By: Kimberly Posadas

11-Peridot 





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