Deadly Typhoon Kalmaegi in Philippines raises more disaster readiness questions
More than 100 people have been killed in the country as the latest typhoon fuels fears of more unpredictable extreme weather events to come
Typhoon Kalmaegi – the most recent in a string of late-season cyclones to batter the country in recent years – left a trail of devastation across the central Visayas region this week.
The storm follows a worrying pattern of high-impact tropical cyclones that have struck the Philippines over the past 15 years, particularly between October and December, with extreme weather events on the rise due to climate change, rapid urbanisation and poor disaster responses, according to analysts.
“We have continuously hit the snooze button for an alarm that has gone off more than a decade ago for disaster preparedness,” Ven Paolo Valenzuela, a research fellow at Singapore Management University’s College of Integrative Studies, told This Week in Asia.
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Typhoon Kalmaegi tears through Philippines, triggering ‘uncontrollable’ flooding
Kalmaegi – known locally as Typhoon Tino – entered Philippine territory on Sunday as a tropical storm, but intensified within hours. It tore off roofs from homes, brought down trees and power lines, and swept away cars and makeshift dwellings.