Emergency preparedness: Children first
The Philippines is one of the most disasterprone countries in the world, placing third in the United Nations University’s Institute for Environment 2017 World Risk Report of countries that are at highest risk of natural disasters. This is not really surprising since the Philippines is located in the Pacific “ring of fire” and “typhoon belt.”
In the past few years, the severity of storms and typhoons has become more intense, with flash floods causing the displacement of hundreds of thousands of people, damaging crops, livestock and property worth billions of pesos, and causing the death of many. Earthquakes and volcanic eruptions have also caused untold damage and destruction over the years. In his last State of the Nation Address, President
Duterte called for the creation of a Department of Disaster Management, underscoring the serious need for people to be prepared for emergencies during times of calamities and disasters.
According to United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) country representative Lotta Sylwander, one of the most vulnerable when a calamity or emergency strikes the country are children with disabilities, estimated at 5.1 million. Sylwander made this revelation during the recent “Emergency Preparedness Forum for Children and Youth with Disabilities” held at the SMX Mall of Asia.
Organized by SM Cares — the corporate social responsibility arm of SM Prime Holdings — the forum on emergency preparedness is an annual event aimed at supporting communities and vulnerable sectors become more prepared and resilient in times of disasters. This year, the focus was on CWDs or children with disabilities (those who are blind, deaf, with physical impairments, with Down Syndrome, autism and rare disorders) who need different kinds of assistance.
Unfortunately, CWDs are sometimes left out of the equation when it comes to emergency situations and disaster management, aggravated by the fact that they have limitations in mobility and other factors.
Joining Sylwander during the emergency preparedness forum are Science and Technology Undersecretary for Disaster Risk Reduction Dr. Renato Solidum Jr., survival expert Dr. Ted Esguerra from the International Disaster Response Network, and engineer Bien Mateo, director of SM Cares’ Program for Persons with Disabilities.
Should a 7.2 magnitude earthquake — also known as “the big one” — hit Metro Manila or nearby provinces, over 48,000 people could perish, many of them children, Dr. Solidum disclosed. Esguerra, who gave tips and onthe-spot demonstrations on how CWDs can cope during times of disasters, remarked that disaster preparedness should become a way of life for people in a country like the Philippines that is visited by calamities and disasters every year.
“Children with disabilities are often excluded from emergency preparedness planning at all levels of government, leaving them especially unprepared for emergencies. DRR (disaster risk reduction) people commonly assume that parents will inform, warn and protect children in the event of disaster, even though children are frequently apart from their parents when in school, at daycare, or with their friends,” Mateo said, adding that SM will continue conducting the forum to reach out to more people and equip them better in coping with emergencies and disasters.