What can we learn from disaster in the Philippines?

The storm that hit the Philippines was the storm of a century and its been ten days since it hit shore.  It completely devastated the country and has created a dire survival situation for everyone there.  For many there is no food, or help in sight. It is a sober reminder for everyone that disaster could strike any of us and sometimes even with all our preparations Mother Nature can throw a curve ball.  That being said the fact that the situation there has been covered so extensively by media gives us a unique opportunity to look at what the people there are dealing with and to use that knowledge to prepare better ourselves. 

Before and after pictures of Santa Catalina neighborhood in Zamboanga City, Philippines

So what are we hearing from the news? And what can we learn from it.

1.       1. First of all, the storm has polluted every source of clean water, and destroyed most of the food supplies.

Something that hit me especially hard was listening to an interview given by NPR with a middle aged male about how he is surviving.  They asked him if he could have one thing right now what would it be. He answered that he would like to have some rice, paused and then corrected himself by saying he would like to have rice and clean water to cook it with.  It shows how bad things really are there. Water and food are the most basic of needs but they are easily polluted or spoiled, and in areas of large populations will use up what’s left very quickly. We can prepare for this by having multiple ways to purify nasty water, and several different options for food storage. If you have just one cache of food or water, and it is destroyed, then you are out of luck. Protect yourself from this by not putting all your supplies in one place.

2. Supplies are being brought in by countries and aid groups from all over the world, but it’s almost    impossible to get them to the refugees. 

The roads are completely covered in debris. It’s a logistical nightmare and although supplies are coming into the country there is no way to distribute them without first clearing supply routes. This is something that everyone needs to keep in mind during a disaster.  Help may not always be on the way, and if it is then it may take quite a while to get to you.  Don’t count on the rescue squads rolling into town the day of the disaster. Plan to be without power and supplies for at least a week or two, and when they do arrive you may still not be able to get anything because looting will run rampant.  Just keep this in mind and know that you can’t rely on outside help in these situations.

3. Death tolls keep climbing, and there is nothing to do with the bodies. 

The last I heard there has been over 3000 killed, and with the lack of resources available that number is sure to keep going up. It’s a terrible thing to think about but you have to do the best you can with the dead.  Keeping them out in the open only invites disease, and it will take a psychological toll.  Burying the deceased is the best way to deal with this, but it is time consuming and physically demanding.  You need to at least move bodies away from living areas and cover them as best you can. Try to keep articles of identification with them as well as this could help to provide authorities with valuable info on who is still missing.

4. People who would normally be peaceful and law abiding are doing anything to survive.

There are many stories coming out of normal people, stealing, looting, and even killing for survival. People who know them say that’s just not who they normally are. It’s not their fault, and really if it came down to it any of us would resort to these tactics to feed our families. There will be many cases in which people help out their fellow man, and do the right thing, but the opposite will be true just as often and its good to keep this in mind.  Practice good opsec, and make sure you have people around you that you trust. There is strength in numbers but one bad egg could ruin everything.

As I have been writing this the news is also coming out about the storms in western U.S. Keep them in your thoughts and prayers and pay attention to their situation as well. We all hope that disaster will never reach our door step but its naive to think that it cant.  Do your best to look at these disasters and think how you could handle the situation, and what supplies would aid you best.  The most important thing those of us who are safe to do at home is gain knowledge from their loss, and struggles.