The Philippines is bracing for a natural disaster?
Whose responsibility should it be to deal with the aftermath? Remember to use a minimum of 2 external references for top marks.
http://www.usatoday.com/story/weather/2014/12/05/typhoon-hagupit-philippines-forecasts/19937489/
Typhoon Hagupit hit the Philippines over the weekend, causing over 900 000 being forcibly removed into shelter, (1) leaving the country in despair and rubble. So what kind of foreign aid are the Philippines, - along with other countries who have struggled through disastrous events -getting?
ReplyDeleteForeign aid is ready, with Canadian government preparing to help the victims of the storm. So far, parliament has given the relief group GlobalMedic - a Canadian based company giving aid for those in need - 100 000 dollars for Philippine aid, along with nearly a dozen other countries led buy the US and EU pledged to help. (1) This brings me to answering the question, who’s responsibility is it to deal with the aftermath of events such as this? I firmly believe that it is necessary that we, along with those developed countries who can, give aid to those countries in need. For example, when Haiti was stuck by the earthquake in 2010, they were in desperate need for help. With Haiti ranking 145th out of the 169 countries in the UN with their HDI, more than 70% of people in Haiti were living on less than 2 US dollars per day (2), meaning they needed foreign aid to help with the reconstruction of homes, office buildings, and more importantly, schools. There were over 4000 schools destroyed in Haiti (2), meaning that they’re education would plummet due to their inability to teach in schools, and the already horribly low HDI score they had before the earthquake.
As I have talked about before, education and the wealth of a country’s economy are directly related, meaning if Haiti, along with other countries affected by disastrous events such as the Philippines were to get no foreign aid, they would get poorer education, which in essence also means they’re wealth and HDI would worsen as well. I believe that as human beings, we have duty to help those in need, and without this chaos would ensue in these developing countries. But it is not just developing countries who have needed this foreign aid. Take, Hurricane Katrina, for example. Hurricane Katrina caused and may have exceeded 150 billion dollars in damage, (3). The US, being a highly developed country, still required the need for foreign aid to rebuilt the lost homes of thousands, showing the true human nature in that we, as humans, do in fact seek out to each other in times of desperate need.
With this, I do firmly believe that is is not the responsibility of one single state or country, yet it is the world’s responsibility to aid in the aftermath of earthly events, seeing as we are all indeed human beings, so we need to show the true human nature within us all and help one another. Sources:
1-
http://www.cbc.ca/news/world/typhoon-hagupit-weakens-over-philippines-at-least-3-dead-1.2863439
2- http://www.dec.org.uk/haiti-earthquake-facts-and-figures
3- https://www.dosomething.org/facts/11-facts-about-hurricane-katrina
The Philippines are in a geographical position to be hit with typhoons regularly. The 2014 Pacific Typhoon Season began on January 10th and the season is being labeled as still currently active. (1) "No other country is struck by as many tropical cyclones each year as the Philippines, which on average gets hit 5-10 times per year," said Steven Godby, an expert in natural hazards at the U.K.'s Nottingham Trent University. (2) Yet for a country that is hit so regularly with these harsh and damaging storms, the current typhoon has caused a great deal of fear.
ReplyDeleteTyphoon Hagupit (also known as Ruby) has reached the Philippines and has touched the central and northern portions of the country with potentially life-threatening winds, flash floods, and storm surge. (3) At least three people have already died yesterday, but ultimately the country is realizing that the storm seems way more tame than they were predicting. (4) Because of the size of Hagupit and the fear brought on by past Typhoons, the authorities had organized the largest evacuation in the history of the Philippines. This defiantly would help lessen the casualties and damage that a Typhoon can cause. (5) The storm was noticed as a threat in late November, which gave the people the opportunity to prepare shelter and food supplies. With disasters like this warning is often not given. Disaster relief is called in and immediately gets started helping out. The Red Cross is already in the Philippines, supplying food and shelter. And the appeal for donations have begun. The plea for money comes when emotions are high and, when linked with pictures of children or families, we are often convinced to help. (5) Once we have donated our bit we sit back and feel good about ourselves. Yet after the news is not longer focused on that problem and we forget about it the people still need help. The call for donations by the Red Cross states that “Many of those affected are the same people slowly recovering from Typhoon Haiyan one year ago, who remain extremely vulnerable.” (5)
If this typhoon had not arrived we would never have known, nor were we have likely to have looked into the fact that these people, a year later, are still in need of aid.
This points, in my opinion, out the flaw of disaster relief. They step in when they are needed and help, yet often when donations stop coming these NGOs have to pack up and leave. This short term help is does not help the country get back on their feet. (6) Along with the the fact that it is short lived, the camps that are often set up can cause problems. Because of the close living quarters and the close containment of the food, the spread of disease is impending. After the Rwandan Genocide some camps became so crowded that more than 50 000 refugees died from cholera. (6)
Although there are many issues with disaster relief, it is hard to find another option for helping areas in need. Getting a country back on their feet after a disaster like a Typhoon takes a long time, much longer than it is kept in our field of vision.
With Typhoon Hagupit, the Philippines seems to be doing a lot on their own already. Because they had warning they were able to initiate the evacuation, enforce liquor bans and a ban on cars. The only problems they are facing now is power outages and flooding. (7) They are just holding their breath until it goes away, praying it doesn’t do more damage.
1)http://www.tropicalstormrisk.com/docs/TSRNWPForecastMay2014.pdf
2) http://www.usatoday.com/story/weather/2014/12/05/typhoon-hagupit-philippines-forecasts/19937489/
3) http://www.weather.com/storms/typhoon/news/typhoon-hagupit-ruby-philippines-landfall-impact
4) http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-30370012
5) https://www.icrc.org/eng/donations/?o=421439&gclid=CNn1vMqvtcICFQQSMwodXxYAag
6) http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2008/mar/02/howeffectiveisdisasterreli
7) http://www.voanews.com/content/typhoon-hagupit-batters-eastern-philippines/2549018.html
This is my weekly post...
ReplyDeleteMore than 30 million people in the Philippines are expected to be impacted by a "super typhoon" which was tracked on Friday with wind speeds of 150 mph. This storm is currently recorded as the strongest storm of the year, and has caused the evacuation of half a million people, who are in a panic with buying groceries. "The storm could be an absolutely catastrophic flooding disaster if the typhoon stalls near any of the islands", says Ryan Maue. The Philippines lay in the most typhoon-prone waters, and are hit approximately 1-5 times annually (Source 1)(Source 2). The aftermath of a large storm or hurricane can cause very severe damages, which cost a lot of money, and create a lot of work for civilians to deal with.
Many organizations have been created to help civilizations in need after natural disasters with one of the most common one being the Red Cross. Previously in the Philippines, the Red Cross has worked to implement a primary health care project, focusing on common diseases, immunizations, pregnant women, and the training of community health workers (Source 2). Because the Philippines are the most disaster prone area around the world, I believe there should be a permanent agreement involving the active participation of the Red Cross and over-seas volunteers, so that deprived families do not have to worry about any wreckage, and can get the free medical treatment they need. A local says, "We haven't recovered from the first disaster", referring to last year's typhoon that took the life of his children and wife (Source 1). Many more people are put into the same situations; therefore I don't believe they should have to face any responsibility for the disaster. These people should receive all help from overseas workers, who do not have to deal with the same physical and emotional situations as the locals do, therefore making them better workers, and allowing the effected ones to have time relax. In my personal opinion, I believe the responsibility of damage should be handed to support groups, such as Red Cross, to allow time for physical and emotional recovery for the civilians.
The expected super typhoon, is predicted to impact many people across the Philippines, and has the potential of causing excessive damage. I do believe the damage should be in the hands of large, over sea volunteer groups, as well as support organizations such as the Red Cross, because it gives time for recovery in the lives of effected families who do not need to be involved In the repair of the country.
Source 1: http://www.usatoday.com/story/weather/2014/12/05/typhoon-hagupit-philippines-forecasts/19937489/
Source 2: http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-30370012
Source 3: http://www.redcross.ca/where-we-work/worldwide/asia/philippines
Hagupit the massive Hurricane or Typhoon as it is called in the Western Pacific Ocean, hit the Philippines early December. Footage can be seen of all residents, adult and child putting in their full efforts to batten down the hatches and prepare for the inevitable disaster. Since last year's typhoon hit, the people here have had to rebuild their possessions, homes and entire lives from scratch as mentioned from Manilla resident Jojo Moro "I'm praying to God not to let another disaster strike us again. We haven't recovered from the first." Now presumably, some people might not be able to survive this next year after struggling for this past one. With help from their government and neighboring ones, along with charities, they will be able to make it by.
ReplyDeleteThe aftermath for the most part is the Philippines government's responsibility, it is not however other governments responsibility or charities. Even though it is the entire purpose of charities, it is simply the right thing, which they choose to do. As for citizens and residents of Philippines, they have an equal or greater responsibility to clean up the mess that Hagupit left behind. The government still has to be able to run the country, then again without a country to run they are pointless, none the less, the government can not poor all of the money they have into helping the recovering survivors that call their country home. Charities such as, The Philippine Red Cross and Greenpeace Philippines have been providing food, water, shelters, farming seeds, and other supplies to every and all survivors they can. Unfortunately for this area of the world, typhoons are common to hit here, so unless they find a solution for living there, all of the work they do now will be once again undone during the next natural disaster.
The smartest course of action that the government should take is, to assist the their citizens in rebuilding their lives, and put substantial funding into a project to protect all before the next hurricane strikes.
Sources
1) http://www.usatoday.com/story/weather/2014/12/05/typhoon-hagupit-philippines-forecasts/19937489/
2) http://www.giving-news.com/news/3030/typhoon-hagupit-ngo-recovery-efforts.html