Yolanda also thought us how we should handle situations
if Mother Nature sends out one of her kakambal (Huwag naman sana , Lord.)
The first thing to prepare is YOU.
Here’s a link of a FREE
copy of the “The LDS Preparedness Manual”. Here you can find articles related to preparedness
subjects on food storage, communications, emergency evacuation etc.
What should be done in the future? Modernize Disaster
Preparation. MODERNIZE OUR POLITICIANS :) Political bickering should
be stopped. Kidding aside...
1.
Early Warning System - PAGASA can seek out
help of other countries in providing minute-by-minute or hour-by-hour feed of
weather sytems. I know they are competitive enough but in reality modern
weather equipment is a must. LGUs can also invest on early warning systems such
as public address systems and other field equipment that can help them see
what's happening in their area of responsibility.
2.
Invest in Evacuation Centers – Can this
system be suitable in Philippine conditions?
This is the Statim Shelter System. Here’s
the product
brochure if you want to see what it can do. We have construction companies
around that I think can create a similar concept. All praises to the one who
will step up. (Consunji, MDC, Megaworld, Anyone?)
3.
Modernize our Lift assets - 3 PAF C-130s
isn't enough. You have seen how many cargo planes from the different countries
came to the rescue. From C-130s to C-17 to KDC-10, all providing vital roles in
transportation of relief goods, equipment and personnel and also evacuees. The
rotary wings were also needed when there is no runway. They can hover for hours
and can reach far areas that fixed-wings can't. So What? So This... Our
government should invest in these assets. Heavy lift planes include C-130 and
C-17s, but with budget contraint they can opt to choose C-130-like cargo
planes. There are Medium Lift Air Assets currently in the pipeline for
procurement. Medium lift airplanes are like those turbo-prop Cebu Pacific
planes, military-grade aircrafts as C-295 from EADS can do. It can land on
short runways which I guess most of PHI's runways are. Then there Light Lift
Air assests. These kinds of planes are for rugged and short runways.
Top
Left to clockwise – Netherland’s KDC-10, Canada’s C-17, PAF C-130, Canada’s CC-150
Rotary wing assets are
vital too; Huey helicopters are our AFP work horses. We need more of such kind
that can lift people, carry supplies and can do search and rescue. If we invest
now, these can be used for 2-3 decades with proper maintenance.
Top
Left to clockwise – PAF UH-1, PAF Sokol, USN SH-60 Seahawk, USMC V-22 Osprey
The Navy is also set to acquire two Strategic Support
Vessels that look like this, similar to what Indonesia has:
These
vessels have hospitals inside, can carry tons of relief goods, can transport
more, and choppers can land on it.
To cut the long story
short, the government needs to at least have the quarter of our National Budget
to fully modernize our Armed forces (If you compare
it to Indonesia). AFP Modernization law states that Php75B (Indonesia has
Php680B) will be used for modernization for a modest AFP, but the spoiler is it
will be spread for 5 years. Php15B a year, IMHO, is indeed modest. Tamang
budget lang ba. Pero sa mahal ng mga assets na iyan, ung Php15B/year ubos agad
sa isang project palang.
4.
NDRRMC and AFP should be
"separated" - AFP is trained for primarily for war. I think it would
be just right that NDRRMC should be a rescue-centric entity. All personnel should
be rescue/risk management-champions. If there's an impending/ongoing disaster,
they will be the Command Center. AFAIK, Sec Gazmin handles both. So parang
walang focus. The agency can be under the Office of the President. Or parang
PNP, AFP, tapos Civil Defence Forces (CDF). It is just an idea of mine na
merong rescue-centric academe na parang PNPA, PMA tapos meron ding CDF Academy.
5.
Invest in Field Hospital, Kitchens and
Desalinators and Water Purifier system - These are vital when everything is you
have evacuation centers. Relief goods are OK. But, if people only eat 3-4 times
a day and they only receive relief goods 1x-2x a week, then those goods won't
be enough. IMO, field kitchens can cook food anytime of the day. Ration in
short. Wala ng mag-aagawan ng relief goods dahil pipila nalang sila para sa
ration ng food. Essential din ang Field
Desalinators and Water Purification System specially for coastal
communities. It can turn salt water or creek water to potable water. Field
Hostpitals are also vital; did you see what the Australians deployed in
Tacloban airport? Astig diba? Mobile and collapsible hospital-in-one. Each LGU
can have one on their respective towns for them to use in case of emergency.
Manpower won't be an issue, I guess. Meanwhile, Japanese aid workers were
reportedly fielding their wireless xray kits (link).
6.
Field Tents - look at what our Indonesian
Friends donated
And to my fellow Filipinos, Please kapag sinabihan na
kayong lumikas, huwag ng matigas ang ulo.
You thought the Disaster preparation is not feasible in
the Philippines, see these Role Models:
Tulang
Diyot Island, Cebu Link
"All residents of Tulang Diyot Island in a Cebu
town survived even if some 500 houses were destroyed by winds and waves from
typhoon Yolanda, a UN report said.
The report
attributed the absence of casualties to the evacuation of around 1,000 people
from the island under San Francisco town Mayor Alfredo Arquillano’s orders.
“When it was
clear how bad the typhoon would be, we decided to evacuate all 1,000 people,”
the UN Office for Disaster Risk Reduction quoted the mayor as saying.
Arquillano, who
UNISDR recognized as a champion of for its Making Cities Resilient Campaign,
said his constituents also “understood the need to move to safety.”"
"We have been working for years on early warnings,
evacuations,” said Arquillano, under whose leadership San Francisco won a UN
Disaster Risk Reduction Award in 2011.
“It just shows
that preparedness pays,” the mayor said further, adding that “the awareness level
of the community was so high that [the evacuation] went well.”"
Albay
Province
Albay Public Safety & Emergency Management Office
(APSEMO). Role Model in Institutionalised and innovative disaster risk
management. Link
"With institutionalized Albay Public Safety &
Emergency Management Office (APSEMO), regular annual budget appropriation,
permanent personnel, institutionalized research and education in partnership
with academe, with safe school and safe hospital programs in partnership with
Dept of Education, Dept of Health supported by AECID-Spain, with risk maps
developed by PHIVOLCS, Mines and Geo-
Sciences Bureau as well as by the Local Government
Units, Population data by type of hazard existing on file used as input in
planning and currently conducting integration of DRR
To Comprehensive Land Use Plan. Education and trainings
are done by the local technical staff of APSEMO, Structural projects as part of
the regular program."
The aim of this post is to make us realize that these
assets are investments when disaster strikes.
Finally, I admit, it’s easy for me to say all these
things. But I think Yolanda served as an eye opener for us.
Acknowledgement:
Thanks to the timawa.net/forum community for the news
feeds, insights, brilliant ideas, and photos.
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