This week, there was a magnitude 6.7 earthquake that happened in Mindanao. My family being there, specifically Davao City, I was naturally worried about them. I was told that people had evacuated their homes and were panicking; because of the strength of the earthquake and the fact that we live near the coastline, they were expecting tsunamis. There was no electricity in our village because of the earthquake damage. The night was chaotic, and people were unprepared. There was heavy traffic due to the large amount of people evacuating, and there were traffic accidents as well. Fake news were circulating, causing even more panic to overcome the people.
Last Monday, October 14, the lecture by Jake Rom Cadag, Behind the Doors, was all about disaster risk reduction and management. It became accidentally relevant suddenly on Thursday night. He talked about the factors that come with disasters: hazards, exposure, vulnerabilities, and capacities. He emphasized the damages of disasters, such as deaths, physical and economic damages, climate change, not only large-scale disasters but also the unseen small-scale disasters, and the inportance of research, and of course, preparedness.
This lecture could not have come in a more opportune time. However, thinking about it, in a country as vulnerable to natural disasters such as the Philippines, all the time is an opportune time. It is always important to be informed about this to prepare and protect ourselves and our loved ones, especially since in the first moments of disaster, it is always only us who can look after ourselves, before disaster teams come — if they even do at all.
When the earthquake hit our home, my family was not prepared at all. We didn’t even have a first-aid or disaster kit. Only after the earthquake happened did it occur to them the necessity of having one. Hopefully, when the next disaster comes, we would be more prepared. It might just be the thing that would save our lives one day.