Names: Angelie B.

Domingo BSN4-N1 Date: January 24, 2023

Subject: NSG130 Disaster Nursing

Disaster Risk Reduction: Is the Philippines Ready for Another Supertyphoon?

Typhoons and hurricanes, which are often referred to as "tropical cyclones," are among the most severe
meteorological phenomena and lead to considerable expenses and losses worldwide. The Philippines, a country
vulnerable to typhoons, experiences an average of 20 typhoons each year. This country is vulnerable to
typhoons because it is placed just above the equator, faces the western Pacific, and appears to lack some land
areas to deflect storm energy before it hits the ground. The warm, tropical waters, which generate roughly 20
typhoons per year, fuel storms. The oceans off the coast of the Philippines regularly reach temperatures above
28°C, which is the threshold at which typhoons can form. As a result of climate change, typhoons would
therefore occur more frequently.
Typhoons cause a lot of damage in the Philippines because of the coastal population, in which many
people live on low-lying coastal islands, accounting for more than 60% of the population. Underdevelopment:
even though the Philippines has gained international attention in recent years for its rapid economic growth, it
remains a seriously impoverished country, with approximately 40% of the country's population living in
poverty, a high unemployment rate, and agriculture employing almost one-third of the workforce, leaving them
vulnerable to harsh weather. The extent of typhoon damage is exacerbated by poorly constructed homes and
inadequate evacuation procedures. Typhoons and deteriorating infrastructure have been mutually reinforcing.
Typhoons wreak havoc on roadways, flood control infrastructure, and bridges—exactly the type of damage that
exacerbates future disasters. Deforestation: mudslides have resulted in many casualties in previous typhoons.
Hillsides that have been stripped of their trees have fewer roots to hold them together, which might result in
mudslides if they are hit by heavy rainfall.

The following are the arguments that the Philippines is Ready for another Super typhoon:
Typhoons are considered an inevitable occurrence for which people should be prepared at all costs. We
cannot predict when, where, or how the super typhoon will cause damage into our lives. Preparedness is one
way to make thousands of people more secure. A single piece of awareness shared with a large number of
people increases the number of survivors. As many typhoons or super typhoons fall in our country, the people
here become stronger and wiser to survive these possible calamities. Through the warning signals being spread
before the super typhoon falls in the Philippines, people are able to prepare for survival.
Typhoon Haiyan (Yolanda) had a devastating path across the Philippines. Storm surges and violent
windwinds have caused enormous damage and hundreds of deaths. Despite the severe loss of life, if PAGASA,
the Philippine Meteorological Agency, had not intervened, the situation could have been far worse. It sent
warnings two days before Typhoon Haiyan made landfall, forcing roughly 750,000 people to evacuate. Many
charitable organizations offered water, food, and shelter in addition to humanitarian relief. Typhoon Haiyan was
a sobering example of how climate change is an urgent issue in the Philippines. Tropical cyclones are expected
to grow more severe as a result of global warming, with higher wind speeds and heavier rains. When super
typhoon Haiyan caused so much damage due to a lack of preparedness for natural disasters, a lesson was
learned, and the idea of developing a program focused on pre-disaster recovery planning came up to prevent an
even higher number of losses and damage in case another super typhoon happens. The Ready to Rebuild
Program provides ideas on how to prepare people, communities, and local governments to be more resilient and
ready to respond to and recover from disasters better and faster.

As a country that experiences 20 typhoons per year, many areas in the Philippines are affected by super
typhoons, which cause extensive damage to properties, resulting in an increase in the number of people with
injuries and fatalities. The Philippines is no stranger to destructive typhoons. The Philippine government is
implementing a disaster plan that is necessary for rescuing and supporting victims of the aforementioned
calamities by sustaining their basic needs for survival, which are foodsfood, water, clothing, hygiene kits, and
sheltersshelter. Even though the resources are not enough to sustain the needs of the a large number of victims
or survivors for a longer period of time, the preparedness for a possible disaster ahead is better than what has
already passed, such as in the increase of funding, the availability of resources, and the plans implemented,
which show improvement over time.

When Super Typhoon Rai (Odette) brought torrential rains, violent winds, mudslides, floods, and storm
surges, the Central-Southern Philippines, Southern Leyte was one of the severely affected areas, whereas it had
been previously ravaged by Super Typhoon Haiyan (Yolanda) in 2013. The Government of the Philippines
made significant efforts to protect people and infrastructure, leveraging the investment made since Typhoon
Haiyan in improved early warning systems and reinforcing the important leadership role of local officials. The
effectiveness of the government's pre-emptive evacuation of individuals and/or families to evacuation centers
ahead of landfall saved many lives. The national authorities, including the local authorities, rapidly mounted
search and rescue, emergency relief, and road clearingroad-clearing operations as soon as weather conditions
improved. Humanitarian agreements with line ministries quickly supported local response efforts.
The Philippines is ready for another super typhoon to occur. A typhoon's destruction or damage is
unpredictable, but being prepared for this natural disaster is the only way we can fight it. The number of people
injured and fatalities can possibly be decreased or controlled if everyone is fully aware of how and what to
prepare and why there is a need for preparation. The Philippine government was able to prepare and
respond with newly enhanced hazard monitoring and early warning tools. There are various platforms
nowadays that can help the public stay updated about potential occurrences or places that may be affected by
super typhoons, such as warning signals from the NDRRMC and meteorological forecasts.
The government is leading the response through the NDRRMC and related emergency response
mechanisms. Humanitarian partners in the country—the United Nations (UN), non-governmental organizations
(NGO’s), the Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement, and the private sector—are augmenting national and
local authorities with the typhoon response, building on established partnership agreements and
relationships that have strengthened over years of collaboration. Scaling up humanitarian support is
increasingly urgent. The Local Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Fund (LDRRMF) promotes local
government investment in disaster risk reduction. The national government has always required local
governments to set aside 5% of their budgets for local calamity funds, and the LDRRMF expands on that
requirement. The government started introducing new laws in 2012 to allow local governments to utilize up to
70% of these funds to assist with risk mitigation and disaster preparedness initiatives.
Another factor that makes the Philippines prepared for another super typhoon is the responsible
authorities' role in creating decisions and planning the necessary actions that will be more effective and
beneficial when the super typhoon occurs. The coordination between the national and local governments
made preparations by practicing or carrying out plans for possible events that the people might encounter
before, during, and after the calamities happened.
Communities in at-risk areas began mobilizing as soon as the government authority PAGASA issued the
initial warning; community-based and community-led Disaster Preparedness Organizations (DPOs), active in
several villages, received the warnings and started preparing for the worst. These structures were established
with the goal of strengthening community-based disaster risk management, and they have been carrying out a
number of activities that have proven to be extremely useful in times like this: community training on
preparedness and response, the organization of volunteer task groups for evacuation and relief dissemination,
and the innovation of early warning systems aimed at reaching the most vulnerable and marginalized groups.
Women, indigenous people, children, and people with disabilities all have a role to play in the community.
DPOs are extremely busy these days putting Community-based Disaster Risk Management (CBDRM) into
practice, thanks to the support of the local government and the barangay (the village authorities). Some are sent
out to warn the people using megaphones, while others work to reinforce their homes' roofs and assist their
neighbors, and support early evacuation in the most vulnerable villages. Emergency meetings are held at the
village level, and phones and SMS are used to coordinate between villages as well as between local and national
authorities.
Therefore, people must be educated on what they should do before, during, and after a super typhoon
hits the country. They must be aware of the recent news about the weather so that they know if they will be
affected. To avoid any hazardous weather exposure, illness, or harm to already affected communities, it is
important that people are able to restore their homes and livelihoods as quickly as possible and within the next
six months before the most active typhoon season. The people become more prepared for another super typhoon
that may arise in the country. A lot of individuals learn how to survive by planning ahead of time in case a
disaster strikes. There is no time to be wasted. As much as possible, they could stock enough foodsfood, set up
their emergency kits, and plan their survival techniques. When the people have prior knowledge about such
possible events, they will be able to remember and prepare for the things to remember before, during, and after
calamities happen. Firstly, it is very important to monitor updates about the weather, especially if there is a
possibility of a Low PressureLow-Pressure Area (LPA) developing into a typhoon and if your area will be
affected. Secondly, during the typhoon, people must listen to weather updates, if possible, stay alert for any
signs of threat, and do the following: remain calm, stay inside the house, or in the evacuation center. Lastly,
after the typhoon has passed, we should still be alert and cautious because its aftermath can still pose
danger to us. We must remember, before returning home, to wait for the authorities to announce that it is safe
to go back to yourour area. To help prevent the same kind of devastating impacts from super typhoons, it is
better to be ready and prepared than to do nothing. Natural disasters cannot be controlled by humans. When it
falls on the country and becomes more destructive, the only thing people can do is escape and protect
themselves from this disastrous event. And when the people cooperate with the local and national governments,
there is a big possibility of having a higher number of people that will survive.

1. The position was not presented outright. Make sure that when make a position, you present it with
facts. Although the thoughts are there, I wanted to see more concrete examples.
2. The position of the writers were presented on a “what to do” perspective, it should be more on “what
we already have”.
3. What are the infrastructures that we have for you to say that we are ready for a super typhoon?
4. Are there any policies that will help us prepare for another typhoon? What are these policies?
Most of the statements were presumptive. When writing a position paper, make sure your language is
laced with assurance. For example: take note of this last sentence that I highlighted “ Lastly, after the
typhoon has passed, we should still be alert and cautious because its aftermath can still pose danger to
us.”, you are already telling me what we should do in case of another typhoon instead of building on the
readiness of the Philippines from the national government down to the grassroots.

5. “And when the people cooperate with the local and national governments, there is a big possibility
of having a higher number of people that will survive.”, this is more of a statement that advocates for
cooperation. In a position paper, you must state concrete facts. Example: Barangay Local
Government Units have been trained on how they can disseminate information towards their
constituents which will help hasten the evacuation process.