Today we had a presentation by Hayato Nakamura, who is Project Formulation Advisor at the JICA Philippine Office. He showed many pictures of the destruction of the typhoon last November 8-9, and explained different response measures. The fact that the storm was approaching was not widely known among the people. One reason was that the wide spread SMS network had gone offline.
One issue increasing vulnerability is the lack of enforcement of building codes. While there are criteria for safely constructing concrete buildings, it was found that many of the destroyed buildings contained shore sand and seashells, which could not withstand the storm. In general, reinforced concrete buildings were found to be the most efficient in withstanding the storm.
Another issue is people's concept of the river area. Many people have no idea of where the river area exactly is and as a consequence live inside the area. One photo even showed a city hall built inside the river area. People usually manage floods by evacuating and surviving on the second floor of their buildings, if there is one, and if the flood stays below it. During this typhoon, an older woman explained she didn't dare go outside when her house began to flood, as she was afraid the fierce winds would have killed her. Luckily she had an air pocket between herself and the ceiling so she could survive. For her it was a matter of debating how she would die, outside in the storm or inside drowning in her house.
Given that many reports (UN, ADB, HFA) have named the Philippines as a great example of successful disaster risk reduction and preparedness, in combination with the damages of this disaster, I asked him if he thought the Philippines could still be described as a success. He responded very positively, and contrasted the new Philippine disaster act from 2010 to the Japanese bast from 1961. Many things have been changed drastically, such as the increase in DRR (5% of the local government budget) and the creation of DRM plans. So naturally Japan has had more time to enact their law, and Philippines is still in the process.
