SEVERE tropical storms Paeng and Karding must have precipitated the declaration of a state of calamity by local and national governments in areas most severely affected by floods, high water and significant destruction of infrastructure and private properties.
This time, our southernmost region, the BARMM, bore the brunt of the powerful weather disturbances, hence, the declaration of State of Calamity in that region.
Is is through this declaration that LGU and the national government get the opportunity to draw on their reserved calamity funds for use to address the emergency-driven issues.
The destructive impact of the two successive strong storms elicited comments from two nationally-read columnists Ambeth R. Ocampo and Inez Ponce de Leon. Wrote Ocampo:Undas 2022 will be remembered for the deaths and destruction caused by severe tropical storm Paeng. And de Leon: Last weekend, severe tropical storm Paeng damaged nearly the entire country in a lashing of wind and rain.
As a result of the two weather disturbances, people blamed the weather forecaster. Pagasa, is already saddled with problems of failing Doppler Signal systems and antiquated machines and further burdened by the lack of trained weather forecasters.
People say the forecasts were not accurate and far from what transpired at the height of the onslaught of the weather disturbances.
The country is visited by as many as twenty typhoons/storms each year and its resources are swiftly eaten as soon as they arrive in the country and cause havoc. Every administration is faced with the dilemma of facing the weather challenges.
Indeed, the effects of climate change are deeply felt by the Philippines and other vulnerable nations like Bangladesh, India, Pakistan and other Asian countries.
I heard that the well-to-do countries have yet to fulfill their pledges to give substantial amounts to a common fund in order to combat the ill effects of climate change.
The promised $100 billion climate change fund has not been reached as yet. What are the nations involved in the Paris Agreement doing?