There was much to learn and share about disaster risk management during the Asia-Pacific Ministerial Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction (APMCDRR) held Oct. 14-17, 2024.
The presentations reminded governments and citizens of the importance of efficient and timely disaster response because that builds the resilience of cities and municipalities. Not only does delayed response cause loss of lives and damage to properties, it pushes the poor to be poorer, and many small businesses to close, therefore affecting economic growth. It’s a cycle that becomes harder to break.
We have been learning from the natural disasters brought on by climate change. The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) has shifted its disaster response to anticipatory action. This is a collaborative initiative between the Philippine government, through DSWD, and FAO, to prepare communities ahead of a typhoon through multi-purpose cash and livelihood protection of poor and vulnerable households.
Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) Secretary Ma. Antonia Yulo-Loyzaga praised the move. “Their shift to anticipatory action, I think, would be the most critical in terms of disaster prevention.”
The most important part of building disaster resilience was presented by the DENR Secretary who urged local governments to prioritize climate and disaster risk assessments. The results of this assessment will show the vulnerabilities of each LGU, which will be essential information in planning effective risk management measures.
“Comprehensive risk management really will require not just the natural hazards that they will be exposed to but also the different social, cultural, and physical challenges that they face in terms of their own exposure and vulnerability. Serious work needs to be put into climate and disaster risk assessments at the local level. That will then be the basis for all the planning that they will need moving forward,” she emphasized.
The most significant statement that should push more government planning was emphasized by Loyzaga: It should be based not on the possible which would be the probable given historical examples, but on the plausible — what might happen in fact because of the uncertainty that we face because of climate change.
The whole-of-government approach is made clear by what the program's specific departments are conducting to prevent disaster. For example, more attention is focused on upgrading flood control and the management of solid waste as disaster prevention measures.
But there is the problem of lack of funds for disaster risk assessments and preparedness. Kamal Kishore, the special representative of the UN Secretary-General for Disaster Risk Reduction, and head of UNDRR, said lack of financial resources of local governments is an “across the board” problem faced not only by developing countries but also by developed. Cities whose economic activities were greatly affected by Covid still have not recovered, and thus lack funds for disaster risk assessment and management.
After the four-day conference, let us not lose sight of the importance of climate and disaster risk assessment, which will provide the guidelines on disaster prevention and preparedness. The Philippines is situated in the Pacific Ring of Fire of active volcanoes and the Typhoon Belt, with an average of 20 typhoons visiting it every year.