Why Sendong was so devastating

By:  ECOWEB

 The areas on the shores of river Mandulog and Iligan River have been transformed into deserts of mud. Where houses were standing wall to wall before and Christmas lights were illuminating the windows, only the foundations are left behind.  Cars are now hanging in treetops, where the powerful waters have left them behind, debris, scrap metal and huge logs are cluttering the shores.

The logs are also one of the reasons for this tragedy to happen. Sendong sent an immense amount of water down that night of December 16 to 17, 2011. In less than 12 hours, the amount of water which usually falls within one month – that is 181 millimeters of rain – was released to the area. It fell on pineapple plantations, which cannot absorb the water, and since the land upstream is used for mining and logging, the soil was already weakened and bore no resistance to the masses of water.

The river upstream was also clogged with logs, which were waiting to be transported down the river once strong rains let the river swell. But the water came so fast and so much, that some of the logs were forming a natural barrier to the flow and when they eventually gave way, the water gushed with full force downstream, leading to the devastation we are now witnessing in Cagayan de Oro, Iligan City and adjacent municipalities. The floating logs crushed into houses and other constructions, forcing them to topple over or crumble down. People were hit by them, crushed or buried underneath.

The state-run Mines and Geosciences Bureau (MGB) said it had warned authorities in the area last year about the need to relocate families living along riverbanks that swelled after one month's worth of rainfall fell over the course of one weekend. On December 17, the tide was also high, giving the water less possibilities to escape once it hit the shore.

Now the logs are lying on the shore along Lanao del Norte and on the river banks. EcoWEB negotiated with the city government in the person of Mayor Lawrence L. Cruz that they will be used for the construction of core shelters and relocation housing. It is the victims of the flood who shall benefit now from the wood, which has been cut greedily upstream, ignoring the risks this entails for the people living along the watershed.

Sendong officially exited the Philippines on December 18 (Sunday), 10PM, via Puerto Princesa City in Palawan Province. Areas affected by Sendong, however, remain fraught with problems related to water supplies, power availability, transport movement, and health.

Neither Iligan nor Cagayan have been prepared for this kind of disaster, since the area was always presumed to be “typhoon free” and people were nursing a feeling of false safety. For many dwellers, this was the first flood and they had no plans on how to evacuate and warn each other. In other areas of the Philippines where flooding occurs more often, people are already prepared, having floating devices in their house for the case of emergency.

It is now the task of the city government in cooperation with civil society to step up their disaster preparedness, to come up with contingency plans and disaster risk reduction measures to avoid another disaster like this to happen.

Just in May 2010, then President Gloria M. signed the Republic Act 10121 or the Philippine Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Act of 2010, which would reorganize the National Disaster Coordinating Council (NDCC), among other things.

The law acknowledged that there was a need to “adopt a disaster risk reduction and management approach that is holistic, comprehensive, integrated, and proactive in lessening the socio-economic and environmental impacts of disasters including climate change, and promote the involvement and participation of all sectors and all stakeholders concerned, at all levels, especially the local community.”

“This Act provides for the development of policies and plans and the implementation of actions and measures pertaining to all aspects of disaster risk reduction and management, including good governance, risk assessment and early warning, knowledge building and awareness raising, reducing underlying risk factors, and preparedness for effective response and early recovery,” according to the law.

What also changed is that the former calamity fund appropriated under the annual General Appropriations Act would is now known as the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Fund and it can be used for disaster risk reduction or mitigation, prevention and preparedness activities such as but not limited to training of personnel, procurement of equipment, and capital expenditures. Unfortunately not all cities and municipalities have already made use of these funds for disaster preparedness measures. It still often is only used when disaster struck – when it is too late.

But having a law is not enough if it is not properly implemented. The civil society organizations are willing to support the government in their efforts in mainstreaming disaster risk reduction.