RP tops list of countries prone to natural disasters

The Philippines topped the list of countries most frequently hit by natural disasters over the last decade, the Department of Health (DOH) said yesterday.

Dr. Carmencita Banatin, acting head of the DOH’s Health Emergency Management Staff, cited the records of the Belgium-based Center for Research on the Epidemiology of Disasters as showing the Philippines suffered through the most number of natural disasters from 1990 to 2000.

But in terms of both natural and man-made calamities, the country was in fourth place.

"Geographically, we are located along the path of typhoons. We can’t do anything about that. Every year, we regularly have 20 typhoons — it can go higher or lower," she said in an interview during the third National Convention on Health Emergency Management.

Banatin also noted the country is situated in the Pacific "ring of fire."

"Countries in that area have many underground volcanoes. Eighty percent of underground volcanoes are in the ‘ring of fire.’ That’s why we have earthquakes every now and then. We have 22 active volcanoes," she said.

As for man-made disasters, Banatin said the incidence of fires in the country, particularly in Metro Manila, is "unnoticeably" high. Experts blamed the high number of fires on poor urban planning.

She added that "technological" disasters are slowly becoming a threat in the Philippines.

"Here, it’s more of industry (disasters). But in the Philippines, technological threats are not the same as those in other countries that have power plants," Banatin said.

She maintained that the country has mining and other industrial facilities that could pose a hazard if not properly managed. She also expressed concern about the risks of environmental pollution.

To prevent and mitigate the impact of disasters, Banatin said there should be a reduction in hazards and a country’s vulnerability to them.

She said no country could really prepare for every calamity but it is important to have an effective emergency response system, which could prevent deaths and injuries.

"In all disasters, it is better not to have dead people. The magnitude of disasters is computed based on the number of deaths and injuries, not on the number of buildings that collapsed," Banatin said.