Just when you thought you were safe and sound, thieves, in the form of natural calamities, have struck in the middle of the night to steal everything that’s important.
Thousands of innocent lives have been lost from the recent slew of typhoons and earthquakes in the Asia-Pacific region, and according to the Wall Street Journal, they could have been avoided with better engineering and construction regulations, as well as more efficient disaster response plan.
“… disaster-prone Asian nations have made gains in preparing for natural calamities, but progress has been slow in many areas,” the Wall Street Journal said, citing the impact left by typhoon Ketsana in the Philippines and the 7.6-magnitude earthquake in Indonesia.
On September 26, the Philippines was swept by Ketsana, codenamed Ondoy, devastating the northern part of the country, particularly the National Capital Region (NCR). The local National Disaster Coordinating Council (NDCC) said nearly 300 Filipinos died and P2 billion-worth of properties, including some 10,203 houses, were destroyed.
The government said the relentless rain caused the wide-scale flooding. The precipitation during the height of Ketsana, officials said, is equal to a 30-day rainfall. But the Wall Street Journal thought the biggest factor that caused the worst flood in the last decade was “inadequate drainage systems.”
“Squatters have moved into areas known to be susceptible to flooding and built illegal structures over drainage systems, which may have added to the death toll,” the Wall Street Journal said.
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To read more visit:
http://ketsanaondoywatch.wordpress.com/2009/10/06/disastrous-disaster-plans/
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