appConfigEntityId

bodyType

customContents

entityId

entityUuid

isVideo

articlePageQuery

article

articleSchemaContent

content

hooksArticlePageAdvertisementConfigArticle

hooksArticlePageFloatingButtonConfigArticle

appConfig

filter

json

liveArticle

Alberto Bocanegra

Filipinos are as tough as they come. Yet nowhere else on Earth must contend with as many typhoons and storms as the Philippines – and climate change is making the problem worse.
Just days before Christmas, Typhoon Rai slammed into the Philippines’ southeast region, affecting more than 7 million people, claiming more than 400 lives and injuring thousands.
Despite the growing danger of extreme weather, we must aim for zero deaths and severe injuries in disasters. We can and must do better.
Typhoon Rai caught most by surprise. It appeared like a monster from the deep, drawing its power from the mighty, warming Pacific Ocean currents east of the Philippines.
Initially a category one storm, within hours it became a category five super typhoon that barrelled across islands with full force, destroying much in its path. It is one of the most destructive typhoons ever recorded.
It is heartbreaking to speak to people whose flimsy homes were blown to pieces. Crops were flattened in an instant. Precious livestock killed. Hospitals smashed. Bridges, communications and other vital infrastructure destroyed.
Filipinos are hit by an average of 20 typhoons and tropical storms every year. But no one deserves to be hit time and again by super typhoons, to fear death, injury and the risk of losing everything.
In late 2020, eight storms and typhoons in as many weeks smashed the homes of millions, leaving many with no time to prepare for the next onslaught. In the past year, 23 storms and 10 typhoons have struck the country.
What’s most concerning is that climate change is making typhoons, heavy rain and flooding more unpredictable and harder to forecast.


The science is clear. Worldwide, deadly superstorms are becoming more frequent and more destructive. We are seeing first-hand the long-lasting and devastating impacts in the Philippines. Homes torn apart by raging winds and five-metre walls of water surging from the ocean into coastal villages. Towns and cities swamped with sewage-infested floodwaters.
The impact of these storms is made more severe by rising sea levels. Extreme storm surges are increasing, from the Philippines to Bangladesh, threatening tens of millions of people and their homes with catastrophic flood damage.
Across Southeast Asia, residents live in fear many months of the year, not knowing if extreme weather is heading their way. No one should live like this.
When Typhoon Rai, known locally as Odette, barrelled across islands in the southeast of the Philippines with all its fury, hundreds of thousands of homes stood little chance.


Three of the most powerful storms to make landfall anywhere in the world – Haiyan, Goni and Meranti – have struck the country in the past eight years, fuelled by warming oceans.
The Philippines is responsible for a tiny fraction of the world’s carbon emissions. Its output is 34 times lower than that of the United States and 78 times lower than the world’s biggest emitter, China, according to Our World in Data. Yet the country suffers some of the most devastating impacts of climate disasters.
Countries most responsible for climate change need to take responsibility for the mounting costs of extreme disasters elsewhere.
Nearly eight years ago, Typhoon Haiyan was deemed the most destructive storm ever faced in the Philippines. It cost the economy up to US$15 billion in damage and lost economic activity, according to the research group Kinetic Analysis Corp. Today, the damage and cost of Typhoon Rai is still being measured. Yet the human toll is unacceptable. We must end death and mass injury from disasters.

Some progress has been made. In the past 10 years, investment has been poured into the development of early warning systems, while coastal and other at-risk communities are given evacuation drills and critical information.
When Typhoon Haiyan struck, at least 7,300 were killed or went missing, according to the Philippine government. By contrast, Typhoon Rai claimed far fewer lives, although the toll is still rising. This reduction in deaths is commendable. Still, we must aim to prevent all deaths from disasters.
How to strengthen Asia-Pacific resilience as climate disasters intensify
Each time there is a destructive storm in the Philippines, it precipitates tremendous investment to help people rebuild stronger houses and set up better warning systems.
More investment is needed to make homes sturdier and safer in coastal communities. This could not be more urgent. There must be a greater allocation of resources for sea walls, drainage and channel systems. Each time a typhoon hits, everyone deserves a fighting chance to weather the storm.
Alberto Bocanegra is the Philippine head of delegation for the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies


Over 1.6 million in Japan urged to evacuate as Typhoon Dujuan nears Tokyo

The cooling trap: how Asia’s air conditioners are making heatwaves worse

Torrential rain in Vietnam leaves 3 dead, 16,000 homes flooded

Indonesia’s Prabowo mulls labelling wildfires as ‘ecological terrorism’

Extreme weather

As the Philippines faces a rise in deadly super typhoons, Southeast Asia is bearing the burden of climate change

Residents wash their belongings next to their destroyed house in the Philippines’ Bohol province on December 21, 2021, days after super Typhoon Rai caused widespread devastation. Photo: AFP

An image from Nasa’s Terra satellite shows Typhoon Rai sweeping through the western side of the Philippines on December 17, 2021. Photo: Nasa Earth via ZUMA Press Wire Service/dpa 

Philippine forecasters say Typhoon Rai ‘exceeded all predictions’ as it rapidly intensified

A man stands on his damaged house after Typhoon Rai hit Surigao City, southern Philippines. Photo: AP

Damaged homes due to Typhoon Rai in a coastal village in Surigao City, southern Philippines. Photo: AP

Typhoon Rai death toll climbs to 375 in Philippines

Residents salvage parts of their homes damaged due to Typhoon Rai in Talisay, Cebu province, central Philippines. Photo: AP

A destroyed government building caused by Super Typhoon Rai, in San Jose, Dinagat island. Photo: Handout, via AFP

President Rodrigo Duterte (L) waving to villagers on the typhoon-devastated island of Bohol, Philippines, on December 19. Photo: EPA-EFE

Residents try to salvage belongings next to destroyed houses in Ubay town, Bohol province. Photo: AFP

Damaged houses and debris in the typhoon-hit town of General Luna, Siargao island. Photo: EPA-EFE

Local tourists take shelter under uprooted trees in Del Carmen town, Siargao island. Photo: AFP

Philippines’ killer Typhoon Rai leaves 5 million without power

A resident looks at his damaged home in Dulag, Leyte province. Photo: AFP 

Philippine Coast Guard workers evacuate residents living along a coastline in the Caraga region. Photo: PCG via EPA-EFE

A child seen near uprooted coconut and banana trees in the coastal town of Dulag, Leyte province. Photo: AFP 

Philippine coastguard members rescue residents in Cagayan de Oro City. Photo: PCG via Xinhua 

Residents salvage what’s left of the their damaged homes in Cebu city on December 17, 2021. Photo: AP

Residents stand in a flooded area in the coastal town of Guiuan. Photo: AFP 

A resident looks at his damaged home in Dulag, Leyte province. Photo: AFP

In Malaysia and elsewhere, governments must get serious on flood control and climate change

Rescuers evacuate flood victims in Hulu Langat, Selangor, Malaysia, on December 19, 2021. Photo: Xinhua

Climate change: Last 7 years ‘warmest on record’ globally; linked to fire, flood, pollution disasters

A home burns after wildfire swept through Colorado in 2021. Photo: Getty 

A waterlogged road during incessant heavy rains in Chennai, India in 2021. Photo: EPA

Opinion


Typhoon Rai barrelled across the Philippines’ southeast region over Christmas, causing millions to lose their homes and livelihoods
With destructive storms on the rise, the country is paying for the actions of large carbon producers like the US and China, and needs support in preparing for future disasters



Typhoon Rai barrelled across the Philippines’ southeast region, affecting millions. With destructive storms on the rise, the country is paying for the actions of large carbon producers like the US and China, and needs more support to prepare for future disasters.


Climate change

The Philippines

Natural disasters

Expresses the views, ideas and conclusions of the author. (Eg. Enough of Crazy Rich Asians, think of crazy poor Hongkongers.)
