The Economic Implications of the Recent Nature Disasters or Calamities in the Country

The Economic Implications of the Recent Nature Disasters or Calamities in the Country

Natural Calamities	Man-made actions/ behaviour that worsened the effect/s on the microeconomic level & macroeconomic level.	Losses or Damages	Needs for relief and rehabilitation	Needs for disaster and risk reduction or prevention and management
1.Typhoon Vicente local name FERDIE; July 18-26 2. Typhoon Saola  local name GENER;July 26-August 4 3.Tropical Storm Kai-Tak local name HELEN; August 12-18 4. Typhoon Guchol, local name BUTCHOY; June 10-22 5. A magnitude 6.7 (Mw) undersea blind thrust earthquake occurred off the coast of Negros Oriental, Philippines, on Monday, February 6, 2012 at 11:49 PST	Excessive cutting of tress & pollution, deforestation, global warming Excessive cutting of tress & pollution, deforestation, global warming. Too much garbage and improper disposal of it. Excessive cutting of tress & pollution, deforestation, global warming. Excessive cutting of tress & pollution, deforestation, global warming Natural shaking of earth. Deforestation is a caused of landslides.	Widespread rains and gusty winds in Luzon & Visayas region; At least 2 people died and 6 others were officially missing. Widespread rains; Flooding is imminent;  three roads in northern Luzon were impassable; 73 death toll; at least 519,000 people affected; More than 17,500 were staying in evacuation centers & 6 missing & 51 fatalities; about ₱404 million (US$9.6 million) damaged, half of which was due to agricultural losses. Triggering flash floods & landslides ; several highways were cut off because of landslides; 109 death toll; Widespread heavy rain; only 310 people notable affected by the storm;  one person drowned in in Rizal; 2 death toll &  80 injured; Total economic losses were estimated in excess of ¥8 billion (US$100 million). Movement on a previously undiscovered fault; Houses & buildings collapsed, while others sustained damages. The triggered numerous landslides which buried houses & people; water services, along with electricity & telecommunications, were reported to be cut off.	They highly needed basic necessities such as foods, clothing & water. About sixty families in Rodriguez, Rizal were evacuated  At least 3,555 people were evacuated from their homes in La Union and Pangasinan; providing relief aid to nearly a million people; 216,000 at evacuation centres Red Cross, government & other NGO’S provided victims’ needs Local officials addressed the needs of the victims	Airports and seaports were advised to not engage with the weather as zero visibility in air and sea. Domestic and international flights delayed; Small fishing crafts were advised to not engage in the water; Seaports were also advised to cancel their trips; Early on July 30, classes were suspended from pre-school to tertiary level  in Metro Manila & nearby provinces;   Twenty northern provinces had been placed under storm warnings before the storm hit;  warned residents living in low-lying and mountainous areas against possible landslides and flash flood due rains ranging from heavy to intense.; officials ordered the pre-emptive evacuation of residents in villages along one of the major river systems in Pampanga; Domestic and international flights delayed; Small fishing crafts were advised to not engage in the water; Seaports were also advised to cancel their trips; Gave a level two tsunami alert, indicating that the public should be on watch for "unusual waves", but did not call for any evacuation; PHIVOLCS announced the tsunami alert at 14:30 PST.

The Philippines is actually one of the most disaster-prone countries in the world. Situated inside the Pacific Ring of Fire, the Philippine archipelago is battered by at least 25 major storms every year. And because of climate change, it also suffers from extreme weather disturbances. To pin the blame on climate change for the casualties is wrong since many of the weather-related deaths are preventable. It must be emphasized that the negative effects of climate change are compounded by poverty, bad governance, and destructive economic activities.

The government’s inefficiency during crisis situations was exposed when it failed to mobilize its resources on time and coordinate the efforts of all agencies during the recent flooding and earthquake disasters. The public has the right to demand the formulation of a comprehensive disaster risk reduction program that can save lives and minimize casualties during freak weather events. Indeed, politicians were able to gather and distribute relief goods to survivors, but scientists and environmentalists insist that the government should have prioritized the setting up of an effective early warning system, emergency drills, quick response teams, and the construction of adequate infrastructure in calamity-prone areas as part of its disaster preparedness program.

The “inconvenient truths” of climate change have already been thoroughly discussed by academics, the media and even government institutions. Everybody knows that strong typhoons, earthquakes, and volcanic eruptions are common in this part of the world. The Philippines is a country that should excel in disaster preparedness, but unfortunately its climate change adaptation program is a major disaster.