Waiting for the ‘big one’ – natural hazards in the Philippines: A UN Resident Coordinator blog

The Southeast Asian nation is essentially the most liable to pure hazards on the planet, and these hazards have gotten extra intense resulting from local weather change.

The UN has been working alongside the authorities within the Philippines to organize for a variety of disasters, as the UN Resident Coordinator within the nation, Gustavo González, explains forward of the International Day for Disaster Risk Reduction marked yearly on 13 October.

“The Philippines, with its 7000 islands and plenty of coastal cities, has at all times been extraordinarily susceptible to intense climate occasions and pure hazards. Every year there are some 20 typhoons, and plenty of can rework into tremendous typhoons, that are very harmful excessive climate occasions. 

We’re seeing extra tremendous typhoons because the seas in Southeast Asia heat resulting from local weather change.

There are additionally round 20 energetic volcanoes throughout the nation, and in response to consultants, we will anticipate a 7.2 magnitude earthquake at any time. So, the intense menace of tremendous typhoons, volcanoes and earthquakes, exacerbated by local weather change, compels us to organize for the eventuality of a “large one”, a pure occasion of big potential harmful drive.

Philippine Information Company/Joey Razon

A household affected by the eruption of the Taal volcano in 2020 walks in volcanic ash-covered streets.

The Philippines ranks primary globally within the World Risk Index, which measures vulnerability and publicity to pure excessive occasions.

Nevertheless, the extent of the nation’s vulnerability shouldn’t be well-known outdoors the area. Certainly, after I arrived on this nation because the UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator, outfitted with my lengthy expertise in disaster conditions, I instantly acknowledged the individuality of this nation.

I noticed that we wanted to profoundly reassess the usual toolkit for humanitarian support and improvement programming utilized in different international locations to higher align it with the distinctive circumstances of the Philippines.

In response, there was a paradigm shift within the work of the UN Nation Workforce in direction of investing in resilience constructing, which implies enhancing nationwide and native capacities to deal with, adapt to and recuperate from current and future shocks.

That is mirrored in a extremely popular Filipino proverb which says “when the blanket is brief, learn to bend”.

Not one-size suits all

Moreover, our strategy within the nation additionally should keep in mind regional variations. 

Once I visited an space affected by Tremendous Hurricane Odette in 2021, I assumed that it could share the identical cultural identification and political dynamics as different components of the nation, however this was removed from the case.

Even on a tiny island you may be confronted with completely completely different socioeconomic realities, in places just some kilometers aside. Whereas one group might ask for cell phones to quickly re-establish communications and put solidarity in movement, the neighbouring group might require livelihood assist or simply some supplies to start out rebuilding their houses.

I keep in mind one inspirational native chief on Dinagat island who was very clear in regards to the priorities of her group following an excellent hurricane.  She respectfully questioned a few of our customary and globally practiced humanitarian interventions. She argued that some objects have been superfluous, whereas highlighting gaps in different areas, and requested a personalized response to enhance the effectiveness of the response.

What we study from such experiences is that constructing resilience begins by recognizing the invaluable capital of information, abilities and property {that a} group can supply. The folks affected are in the most effective place to determine what they want and the place the UN can add worth within the aftermath of a catastrophe. 

A boy drags possessions by means of the flooded streets of Manila within the aftermath of a hurricane. (file)

Factoring such wealth of native information into the humanitarian response represents a paradigm shift away from the UN’s customary strategy. Portraying affected communities simply as a mixture of wants and vulnerabilities is oversimplifying a fancy actuality. Creating the humility to pay attention, uncover and genuinely have interaction with communities is an absolute requirement.

Preparation and Resilience

Constructing resilience and preparedness stays essentially the most cost-effective method of addressing pure hazards like earthquakes, floods or typhoons. Within the Philippines, an ongoing decentralization course of supplies native municipalities with a significant function in assessing dangers and planning for disasters, in addition to in creating early warning programs.

I visited a UN Growth Programme and UN Habitat-supported mission in Albay province within the shadow of the Mayon Volcano the place communities have been studying to fly state-of-the-art drones.

The digital mapping of disaster-prone areas supplies important info for the planning and threat evaluation to higher predict, put together for, and mitigate the adverse impacts of disasters and different pure hazards.

In Mindanao, I met the Bajaus, a gaggle of seafaring indigenous folks whose homes have been severely broken by Tremendous Hurricane Odette in 2021. Supported by UN Habitat, members of the group rebuilt their homes in response to conventional building practices and utilizing domestically out there supplies.

Recognizing and incorporating native ingenuity has been vital to develop tailored options. Their homes at the moment are extra prone to survive a hurricane.

UN collaboration

Whereas communities are being empowered to take the initiative and put together for and mitigate the impression of utmost climate or an earthquake, the United Nations can also be working alongside the federal government and different companions to coordinate a world response to these presumably catastrophic occasions.

Because the UN Resident Coordinator in addition to the UN Humanitarian Coordinator, my function is to, firstly, put world information and practices on the disposal of the federal government, secondly, to construct alliances to assist built-in humanitarian and improvement options and, lastly, leverage monetary sources to make them sustainable.

Once I began working for the UN, nearly three many years in the past, there was a man-made division of labor between humanitarian and improvement work. Such divide was throughout programmes, methods and budgets. As we speak, there’s a humble recognition that the character and magnitude of crises require a extra holistic and built-in strategy. We name it the “nexus strategy”.

Our new Anticipatory Motion Pilot Programme* brings group information, know-how, digitalization and logistics collectively, in a single formulation. 

We typically solely have a 36-hour warning forward of the arrival of an excellent hurricane to activate anticipatory motion together with arranging money transfers to beforehand recognized folks. This cash will help households to maneuver precious property like boats and instruments, in addition to to fill up on meals or transfer to evacuation centres.

Expertise exhibits that for each greenback we put money into prevention, we save 4 {dollars} in reconstruction.

As we see, the publicity to disasters and the vulnerability to local weather change have compelled Filipinos to domesticate a singular sense of resilience. The “saving lives” spirit is broadly unfold inside native communities.

As Filipinos steadily say, “so long as there’s life, there’s hope.”

*The Anticipatory Motion Pilot Programme is applied by UN businesses: the World Meals Programme, UNICEF, the Worldwide Group for Migration, the Meals and Agriculture Group and the UN’s sexual and reproductive well being company, UNFPA, and supported by the UN’s Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF)