How Resiliency and Early Warning Saved Lives during Typhoon Utor in the Philippines

On August 12, 2013, the Philippines was again hit by another typhoon. Code-named Typhoon Utor, the typhoon did quite some impressive damages particularly in the provinces of Mindanao, Aurura, Manila, Casiguran, Isabela and Albay where inhabitants battled with the impacts of the displacement and destruction.

According to ABC news reports, 23 fishermen where reported missing and hundreds of families where separated during the evacuation.  Massive flooding and landslides were recorded and houses were damaged. In Aurora Province, the strong winds knocked off power supply. BBC news reported that the typhoon left tens of thousands of people homeless, two dead and several others missing.

As recent as last year, Philippinos were battling typhoon Bopha which caused massive destruction, killing or impacting approximately 2,000 people and displacing 850,000 in the south of the island of Mindanao in December, 2012.

Typhoon Utor is said to be the most powerful and devastating typhoon to hit the Philippinesthis year and the government mobilized massive state resources and agencies to be on high alert. The government also ordered schools to be closed and asked residence in the vulnerable areas  to evacuate.

Early Warning during Typhoon Utor

The Philippines is not new to typhoons. As a matter of fact, the Philippines gets between 20 to 25 typhoons each year on average thought not with as much intensity as typhoon Utor. According to the BBC, Utor is the most powerful storm to have formed globally in 2013, with sustained winds of between 175 to 210km/hr.

Prior to typhoon Utor making landfalls, state weather bureau tracked and monitored the storm down to the minute. They forecasted that Utor could cause about 25 millimeters of rain an hour and issued evacuation alerts well in advance; leading to a speedy and timely evacuation as was observed.

The weather bureau of the Philippinessent warnings to seafarers to stay at ports.  Residents living in low-lying and mountain areas were alerted and asked to move to higher lands while watching out for fast floods and landslides.

Emergency services such as the police, the military, emergency medical services and volunteer organizations such as the Red Cross and other NGOs were all mobilized to help out both in sending out warnings and during the response phase. Alerts and PSA’s were sent out in over thirty provinces. The massive communication was very helpful in saving lives and causing people to evacuate before the landfalls.  Despite the high intensity of Typhoon Utor, more than 100,000 people from 14 provinces were able to evacuate, leaving the death toll at a very minimal rate.  Only about four people have been confirmed dead so far.

Lessons to Learn from this disaster

As typhoon Utor makes its way towards Southern China, what lessons can we learn from the way the Government of the Philippinesand the inhabitants managed the event?

1.      Effective Early Warning system- The government of Philippines has over the years developed a strong and effective early warning system which proved its worth during typhoon Utor. The weather bureau did a fantastic job at tracking and monitoring the storm at every stage of its progress.  With data from the bureau, government emergency agencies issued direct and sound alerts to the communities in the vulnerable areas.  Alerts and Public Service Announcements were sent out in over thirty provinces. The massive communication was very helpful and it showed the seriousness and the magnitude of the typhoon.  Civil Defence Chief Norma Talosig  asserted that the robust warnings and alerts that were sent out caused many residents to evacuate well in advance of the typhoon’s mayhem; thereby limiting the number of human casualties. This goes to show the importance of having a robust early warning system, but above all the effectiveness of the government of the Philippine’s in conveying and communicating with the population in times of emergencies.

2.      Resiliency. The Philippinesis one of the countries most affected by natural disasters and floods in the Asia and Pacific region. The occurrence of natural disasters over the years and the development of coping mechanisms have contributed not only in strengthening the government’s emergency apparatus but also in fortifying the resiliency of Philippinos. The Philippines has been hard hit by typhoons for decades, the deadliest and most damaging being typhoon Amy which occurred in 1951. Amy caused the death of 991 people, 50,000 displaced and an estimated damage of approximately 560 million in Philippine peso. The residents in most flood prone areas such as Mindanao, Aurora, and Manila are well prepared to respond to typhoon, hurricanes and floods. The population has learned ways of responding and recovering from natural disasters like flash floods and landslides. Besides public alert notices, the population have developed their own local early warning systems of checking and determining imminent natural dangers by observing rising water levels and strong winds. The knowledge has been passed down to generations. During disasters such as flash floods, Philippinos both old and young seek the direction of higher grounds for survival.

3.      Active and Coordinated Response.  The government and local communities in areas like Mindanao have been taking part in multi-disaster simulation exercises organized with the support of international partners such as the United Nations Office for Humanitarian Affairs (OSHA), and the Red Cross society. The need for a more structured and well coordinated emergency preparedness and response structure in a country like the Philippinesin general and community like Mindanao was of outmost essence. After years of continuous efforts, the government of the Philippines can boast of a response system capable of delivering life-saving results. During the recent typhoon Utor event, the police and emergency rescue services were very swift to respond after the first landfalls. The local population also cooperated, bringing food, and clothing to help affected neighbors and those displaced by the disaster. Government response services made use of sophisticated equipments such as helicopters and bulldozers to access and save those trapped by the typhoon. First responders also used earthmoving equipments to clear debris from the major highway roads so that food and other aid supplies could be delivered to those in shelters.  

Sources: BBC NEWS ONLINE, ABC NEWS ONLINE