TODAY is the eighth anniversary of the mega disaster called super typhoon “Yolanda” that plowed central Philippines and killed at least 6,000 lives on Nov. 8, 2013.
“Yolanda” became the new benchmark for disaster prevention and preparedness, which means that communities should be ready for typhoons with wind speed of above 300 kph, even if this means upgrading standards for buildings.
Yes, “Yolanda” – and other disasters – showed the need to upgrade the standards for building infrastructure to ensure that they withstand strong winds and quakes. We must build resilient, stronger and better communities, which means we have to raise the standard for building structures in the country. We must design structures that can resist winds of more than 300 kph and intensity 9 earthquakes.
This would be challenging and may cost more, but it is more challenging and more costly to provide relief and rebuild communities every single time a typhoon arrives or a strong earthquake occurs because of lack of preparedness. Natural hazards are inevitable but we can prevent them from turning into disasters if we are prepared.
According to the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council, super typhoon “Yolanda” had a wind speed of about 235 kph. In building community resilience, the structural integrity of buildings and other structures should not be compromised. For instance, coastal structures, including roads and bridges, should be built and designed considering a two-meter sea-level rise due to climate change.
All new schools and hospitals must be designed with disaster prevention and mitigation in mind and built with extra safety measures. The UN Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNISDR) recommends that all new hospitals and schools add 4% of total construction cost to be spent on disaster mitigation and extra safety measures.
Local government units must also include in their development and investment plans the establishment of disaster-resilient shelters against typhoon, storm surge and tsunami.
We must rebuild communities aware of the lessons of “Yolanda” and all other major disasters that have brought us to our feet. We must not rebuild the risk. We must rebuild wiser and smarter.
