Resonance of the Past
A tragic incident similar to what
happened in Leyte way back in 1991 (the Ormoc flashflood that swept
about 6,000 individuals) and in 2003 (the San Francisco landslide that
killed 133 people) took place last Feb. 17, this time in St. Bernard
town, same province. Rampaging mudslides swallowed the whole village of
not less than 2,000 people leaving an area of eight square kilometers
covered with mud as deep as 49 ft. The number of recovered dead bodies
have reached 94 while 415 luckily survived. As of this moment, more
than a thousand are still missing. Most are now feared dead, including
the 200 pupils in buried Guinsaugon Elementary School.
The same incident happened in Central
Luzon's Aurora Province in December 2004 when successive week-long
typhoons hit the province triggering flashfloods, landslides and
mudflows affecting almost half of Aurora's population (15,782 families
or 78,419 persons).
The St. Bernard occurrence and the
Aurora disaster have some common complex factors at play that are vital
to take into account. One of them is the amount of precipitation (level
of rainfall) in the area. Since La Niña is expected to be approaching
the country on the first quarter of the year, Leyte, and even Aurora and
other disaster-prone areas, had been experiencing its initial aftermath
as early as December last year. Also, these areas have been found by
experts to be prone to landslides due to the mountains' soil or ground
composition and the steepness of their slopes. Both also lie in places
where there are numerous faults and major fractures that cut through
major rock units. It is also imperative to note that mountains in both
areas have long been deforested due to rampant mining activities (legal
and illegal) since time immemorial.
Coconut trees cannot prevent landslides
since they are shallow-rooted unlike hardwood trees that are
deeply-rooted and could hold much water and soil.
The threats of climate change, geology
and geography are natural features that make Leyte and other at-risk
communities susceptible to disaster. Man-made activities such as
deforestation and mining add up to disaster-vulnerability. This
situation plus other human and developmental factors or socio-economic
vulnerabilities -- such as the incidence of poverty -- compound the
people and communities' incapability to cope with disasters.
Furthermore, proper disaster management system is still clamoring to be
carried out.
With so many disaster events that
happened in the past, our government (most importantly) should have
learned lessons from these. Destruction from such tragedies could at
least be lessened, if not avoided, had our government developed
effective and informative geo-hazard mapping systems as well as disaster
warning systems to facilitate disaster awareness, preparedness and
mitigation (if not prevention). It is also high time to seriously treat
deforestation problems through massive reforestation programs and
truthfully prohibit both legal and illegal logging activities especially
in such landslide-prone areas.
Moreover, the need for a pro-active
disaster response becomes more and more urgent. A response that is not
emergency-focused and relief-oriented is needed. It should include not
only post-disaster interventions but also disaster-preparedness and
mitigation activities. Disaster management is aimed at increasing the
people and communities' capacity to cope with the impacts of disasters
and at the same time reduce their socio-economic vulnerabilities to
disaster. Essentially, disaster management must be linked to the issue
of development in which the people as a whole have the most significant
part.
Sr. Cecile Ruiz
Executive Director
Alay Bayan, Incorporated
# 54 Rue de Paree St., L&S Subdivision, Angeles City
Alay Bayan, Inc. (ABI) is a
community-based disaster management institution based in Central Luzon.
Founded in August 2000, ABI is committed to assisting the growing
needs of the most vulnerable sectors in the most depressed areas in the
Central Plains of Luzon.
ABI is currently launching a resource
mobilization drive for the Southern Leyte landslide victims. You may
send your donations (material or financial support) to the ABI office at
54 Rue de Paree St., L&S Subd., Angeles City. For any queries, you may
call at (045)887-2521 or send e-mail to
alaybayan@hotmail.com.
Posted by Bulatlat
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