UP Ibalon Bicol: Calamity lessons we like to brush aside?

Calamity lessons we like to brush aside?

10/14/2009 | Posted by mesiamd | Edit Post

Every year typhoons of magnitudes similar to Ondoy and Pepeng hit the Philippines. Deaths, injuries and damage to property are part of the usual aftermath. From the news, we can just see how the whole nation suffers---as if nothing really can be done to avert the catastrophes.

What is worrisome is th4 extent of the calamity that the whole country is facing. If nothing on our part is done, the disasters will be more intensely devastating. The worst case scenario of another flood is hard to talk about-----maybe because its too scary to even contemplate. We are not sure if we will ever be prepared to cope with it.

Many of us think that if we isolate ourselves in exclusive villages with tall walls and a round-the-clock set of guards, we will solve the problem of the poor living side by side with us. We are assured that thieves will not break in our plush houses. And living in tall high-rises make us think we are in a different land, away from the dangers that lurk around. But this is not the lesson we learn in the recent horrible floods.

Water submerged 80% of Manila.

Rich and poor, we realize our own vulnerability when disaster strikes. There is misery and hardship everywhere, sparing no one. That’s why to prepare for the next big calamity, we need to make changes in our lifestyle. Much as we brush it aside, government-led disaster preparedness is what we must work for. We need the cooperative work of everyone to be successful.

Our villages are so congested now that we need to unclog major waterways and streams. We see excessive number of people spilling in our streets. In the fringes of Laguna Bay, the number of illegal homes where these people live is incredible. Some form of squatter relocation is urgently needed to ease up the flow of water when heavy rains fall.

It’s important that we dredge our rivers and streams---because blockages aggravate flooding in our areas, These give us little room to maneuver when water rises. The specter of a cataclysmic deluge is surely in our minds the next typhoon is announced by the weather bureau.

We need to improve the disposal of our waste. We haven’t stopped the habit of throwing debris, plastics, and garbage that choke the path where water needs to go during heavy downpours. Pollution is taking over our lives in a very serious way, endangering our health, particularly the young and the old. Without facing the truth and working together to make our situation better, the tragedy of Ondoy and Peping is bound to happen again. (Photo Credit: Reuters/ Erick de Castro) =0=

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LABELS: tragedy, disaster, floods, calamity, preparedness, Totie Mesia, lessons