Kung ang ilang media sa atin bansa ay kulang-kulang ang mga detalye sa ginagawa nilang pag-uulat tungkol sa hakbang ng gobyerno para matulungan ang mga apektadong kababayan natin sa Cagayan dahil sa Bagyong Ulysses, nagsalita na ang isang oisyal ng Civil Defense upang linawin ang mga hakba na ginawa ng pamahalaan para sa mga residente sa naturang lugar.
Ayon kay Civil Defense Training Officer Rachelle Anne Lucena Miranda, kulang ang naratibo na nababasa sa social media at sa mga broadcast media.
"What is missing in the narrative in the social media or broadcast media with what happened in Cagayan Valley- is how local drrm councils in Cagayan and regional DRRM council has enforced pre-emptive evacuation as early as November 12. Information and warning was disseminated. If you’ve read some of the residents’ post, to some of them, it was their decision to stay, not knowing that the flooding will be this massive.
The floods were expected, the residents knew that. But the rise of the water was unprecedented and as mentioned by our kababayans, it was a totally new experience. Proves to me, no disaster is the same.
What happened last night with the call for help is devastating. The #RescuePH, with the help of our netizens, was proven to be useful. The ‘thief of the night’ was also a restless night to NDRRMC- coordinating for assets- the “prepositioned” assets ready for dispatch.
If you’re familiar with the coordination mechanisms during emergencies you’d understand why all disasters are not of “national attention” and why NDRRMC is not on-scene in all disasters in the country.
It’s not that we dont want to be there, but it’s part of the mandate. The LGU has overall responsibility of the incidents in their AOR and they will seek for augmentation to the regional or national, as needed.
Second point, “operational planning” in response is critical. You identify what resources you have, asses what you need and what will be requested. Having a situational awareness of the risks and its complexity will aid you in planning.
But what was not factored in was the willingness to evacuate. The thin line separating pre-emptive evacuation and search and rescue are (1) time, (2) complexity of the hazard and (3) *the most important in incident management*, safety of the responders.
We cannot compromise the safety of the responders- because who else will save you if the savers die?
It’s a long shot to explain but mind you these tools are working. That is why, we always emphasize these tools won’t work without public support and participation. You are the engine of our success.
I’m writing this post to simply steer the conversation on the “facts” in disaster management.
Let’s also recognize our DRR officers, emergency operations center managers and our responders who tirelessly go above and beyond their duties. Not that they need credit-but a tap in the shoulder always work.
There is always politics in any thing but make sure to make your OPINION an informed one."
Source: Rachelle Anne Lucena Miranda
