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Thursday, November 9, 2017
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FOUR years ago yesterday, supertyphoon “Yolanda” hit the Visayas. What have we learned?
We cannot submit ourselves to utter helplessness in the face of mounting disaster risks. We need to be in control, and the only way that can happen is to embrace the lessons learned from “Yolanda” and to move forward not just with the resolve, but also with the tools to do better.
One challenge is translating knowledge into practice to effectively manage, reduce and prevent disaster risks. But we have seen how action, oftentimes, are guided by what is popular, by what is easiest to undertake, or by least cost considerations. This has to change. We need to accept the fact that the disaster risk landscape requires a more focused, evidence-based assessment of hazards, vulnerability and disaster risks — and this can only be done through science.
For example, an assessment of Tacloban, which greatly bore the brunt of the storm’s impact, showed that the city’s location was highly susceptible to disaster risks. The geo-hazard map for Tacloban showed Leyte province massively covered by color purple on its outskirts and red within — meaning to say, the coastal areas were susceptible to flooding, while the inland was highly susceptible to landslides. The map’s color coding scheme represented susceptibility to landslides and flooding; but the people of Tacloban came to know of that only after the fact.
Days before “Yolanda” hit land, there were public warnings and preemptive evacuation was carried out in the coastal areas. Emergency relief resources were also prepositioned. But seeing the devastation caused by “Yolanda”, such preparations were clearly not enough.
Our biggest challenges include those of getting all “hands on deck,” providing the resources to make science work for building resilient communities, and translating knowledge into practice. The Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction says managing the risks is key to resilience. We acknowledge this. But we should not assume that science, research and the tools they offer will just automatically find their way into the drawing boards of policymakers, planners, and those charged to lead action in building more resilient communities. The government needs to reach out to scientists and academic institutions.
In the same way, scientists and the research community will also need to communicate the practical value of what they are doing. We understand that the gold standard of a researcher’s output is the publication of peer-reviewed articles in scholarly journals. The end, however, should not be focused on publishing a paper but making sure these contribute to creating knowledge that serves the needs and interests of communities.
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