Super typhoon “Lando” caught the government flatfooted again. The typhoon was not as ferocious as “Yolanda” that ripped Tacloban City and the rest of central Visayas in late 2013, but it was equally destructive after lingering over central and northern Luzon for over a week.
The slow-moving typhoon caused floods and swept past several provinces, most of them agricultural producing areas. Nueva Ecija, Pangasinan, Pampanga, Bulacan, Aurora, Mountain Province, Benguet, Quirino, Kalinga, Nueva Vizcaya and the Ilocos region are among the hardest-hit areas.
Initial government estimates put the crop and livestock damage in Luzon at over P6 billion. The figure is certain to rise dramatically, as rice farmers were about to harvest their produce before the typhoon struck.
Lessons should be learned from Lando’s destruction. The typhoon lasted for over a week as predicted by the weather bureau, and any storm hovering for days and with a strength of over 100 kilometers per hour is expected to wreak great havoc along its path.
The weather bureau needs more modern equipment to accurately track typhoons, measure the amount of rainfall that will fall over a 24- or 48-hour period and pinpoint the areas to be submerged by floodwaters.
Local government units must also be vigilant on the approaching typhoon. Lando has killed 41 people and injured 78 so far. Many, as shown by TV footages, were surprised by rising floodwaters and had to be evacuated by government personnel at the last minute.
Lando’s destruction will be felt in the months to come, especially by rice farmers in Central Luzon who had lost their income. The recovery period may not be easy as El Niño has yet to intensify.
The government this early must initiate a financing program to help farmers replant their crops and families rebuild their homes. The state, meanwhile, must strictly enforce its disaster risk reduction program. It should permanently ban the construction of houses along identified disaster-prone areas to limit the damage to property and save lives.