Phl, world’s most disaster-hit country

EDITORIAL

Even as deadly typhoons and monsoon rains recently battered the country, the Philippines was reported as having topped the list of countries most frequently hit by natural disasters in 2011.

           

Carlos Padolina, deputy executive director ofCitizens’ Disaster Response Center bared records of the Centre for Research on the Epidemiology of Disasters  showed of  302 natural disasters that happened worldwide, 33 occurred in the Philippines.

           

CDRC is a partner of CRED, a World Health Organization collaborating center based in Brussels, Belgium, which maintains the Emergency Events Database (EM-DAT: The International Disaster Database).

           

It is a non-government organization that pioneered and continues to promote community-based disaster management in the Philippines. It operates nationwide through a network of regional centers and people’s organizations.

           

CDRC revealed that if human-induced disasters like armed conflict and fire were included, the total number of disaster occurrence in 2011 will reach 431. This is a more than 50% increase from the 2010 figure of only 202 disaster events recorded. CDRC maintains its own disasters database, monitoring both natural and human-induced disasters.

           

Padolina added these natural and human-induced disasters combined affected more than 3 million families or 15.3 million people, and caused over P 26 billion in economic damages. This is a major leap from last year’s only 6.75 million people affected.

           

The Philippines also placed third in the list of countries most affected by natural disasters in 2011 with 11.7 million people affected. Previously, the country placed only 5th on that list.

           

Padolina said the Philippines’ ranking came not as a surprise since Tropical Storm Sendong (Washi), one of the worst disasters that hit the country, happened late last year.

           

In terms of casualties, the Philippines came second to Japan with 1,924 people killed. More than 1,400 of these were due to tropical storm Sendong.           

           

The challenge for us is to reduce the impact of disasters on our lives, Padolina says. “No matter how frequent these calamities might occur, as long as we are prepared, we can bounce right back.”

           

It is not that easy, but then…