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Better preparation helped saved lives and could be a blueprint for other nations
The United Nations has praised the Philippines government for its rapid and pre-emptive response to Typhoon Koppu, suggesting that its handling of the disaster should act as a model for other disaster-prone countries.
More than 300 villages were flooded as a result of the typhoon, which hit on Sunday, and has claimed more than 50 lives. Tens of thousands of people remain in evacuation centres. The government estimates that the storm caused more than $13m (£8.5m) worth of agricultural losses.
“The communication of early warnings in the Philippines has improved significantly since Typhoon Haiyan claimed over 6,000 lives in November 2013. Last December, major loss of life was averted by large-scale evacuations in the face of Typhoon Hagupit,” Margareta Wahlström, head of the UN office for disaster risk reduction (UNISDR) said in a news release.
“Now again this weekend, government agencies have been successful in reducing loss of life through the effective communication of early warnings and organizing targeted evacuations in the areas most affected by Typhoon Koppu,” she added.
Wahlström said President Benigno Aquino’s broadcast to the nation on Friday evening before the typhoon made landfall was especially important in alerting the population to the threat of the typhoon.
Wahlström also noted that regular updates from the state weather bureau PAGASA and the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council had helped guide the actions of local governments, the private sector, the Red Cross and others.
She said the Philippines' expertise could be useful for other countries trying to implement a global agreement forged in Sendai, Japan, earlier this year, which recognises that the state has the primary role to reduce disaster risk but that responsibility should be shared with other stakeholders including local government, the private sector and other stakeholders.
“The Philippines is the most storm-exposed country in the world and its expertise in disaster risk management can be usefully adopted by other countries trying to implement the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction adopted in March this year as a global blueprint for reducing disaster losses,” she added.
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