The Philippines are used to dealing with typhoons. This does not make the mounting death toll from Typhoon Bopha any less easy to accept, and the vicious storm is not expected to have moved away from the stricken island of Mindanao until some time today. However, even though rescuers have been struggling to reach remote communities which have been hit by flooding, mudslides and massive winds, there are grounds for hoping that this typhoon, even though it was considerably stronger, will not be a repeat of the devastation caused by Typhoon Washi a year ago when 1,200 perished.
The first thing to say is that our hearts go out to all those affected by this latest tragedy, not least those people from the Philippines who are working here in the Kingdom and who have friends and family in affected areas. This must be a particularly difficult time for them as they await news of their loved ones. It is also worth noting that the Philippines appears to be getting much better at coping with large scale disasters. This is clearly a manifestation of the country's growing economic clout and organization, after far too long as one of Asia's economic “also rans”. There were good advance warnings and widespread use of mobile phones and social media to keep people updated on the unfolding crisis. The Social Welfare Ministry and provincial governors appear to have responded with commendable speed.
Identifying and clearing away the dead, as well as removing the carcasses of animals from near water courses, is a prime task. While those who have lost their homes and livelihoods must be fed and sheltered, it is also crucial that they be vaccinated against the likes of cholera.
The task, of course, will not end when the waters have subsided and the thick mud that has engulfed whole communities has been cleared away. Farmers have seen crops destroyed and food stores ruined. Long after the world's attention has moved on to other news, the tens of thousands of people in the Philippines who have been afflicted to a greater or lesser extent by Typhoon Bopha will find daily life a severe struggle. However, once again it can be expected that the authorities in Manila and in provincial capitals will learn more lessons from this latest disaster. The old argument against upland deforestation needs to be readdressed. The removal of tree cover, especially in remote highland districts, to create farmland and fuel, all too often means that torrential rain will run off immediately carrying with it much of the soil on which farmers were relying.
The sort of blanket ban on deforestation called for by Western NGOs is unrealistic. However, with proper advice and planning, new agricultural land can be created within forest areas in such a manner that it will not be washed away, while the surrounding tree cover will help contain downpours and reduce the likelihood of torrential floods. It is also clear that more thought must be given to how rescues are organized. In one village, a school and a village hall designated as emergency evacuation centers were both hit by mudslides with the loss of over 40 lives. Among those were soldiers, who were part of the rescue effort. Better risk assessment and planning would have demonstrated the danger of these evacuation center locations. In general, however, at this time of trial and great tragedy, the authorities in the Philippines appear to have acquitted themselves well.
