MAYJOSH J.

NAPATAL REACTION PAPER #6

SSC X-DIAMOND DISASTER AND RISK MANAGEMENT ISSUES

Nine dead due to typhoons, ‘habagat’ – NDRRMC

The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) has so far
recorded, as of Friday, nine deaths due to a series of typhoons and rainfall brought about by the
southwest monsoon, or “habagat.” “As of yesterday, siyam ‘yung validated although may
ongoing validation pa,” Undersecretary Ricardo Jalad, NDRRMC executive director and Office
of Civil Defense administrator, said in an interview over AM radio station dzBB on Saturday. The
fatalities from typhoons Henry, Inday, and Josie were reported in the provinces of Rizal,
Antique, Mountain Province, Pangasinan, Negros Occidental, and Negros Oriental, and in the
cities of Caloocan and Malabon in Metro Manila. Several typhoons hit the country consecutively
in recent weeks in the wake of rainy season and have caused excessive flooding in some areas.
Jalad also said there were still some areas in Bulacan, Nueva Ecija, and Pampanga that remain
flooded.

Our country is prone to typhoon since it is open to the Pacific Ocean. We should be
aware of the calamities that would occur, because there are many casualties already, and we
can’t further the damage. We can lessen the casualties by knowing what to do before, during,
and after a certain calamity through active participation in the government’s programs in the
disaster risk management and disaster risk reduction, because not only the government is
responsible for this, but everyone since our lives are at stake here, and also our assets, like our
houses, farms, etc. Why would the government take responsibility for the casualties, because
they have done their part already by conducting drills before, during, and after a calamity? We
should also do our part, because it’s for the better good.