We were extremely saddened to hear at the end of last week and over the weekend about the destruction brought by Typhoon Haiyan, impacting the Philippines last week and (at the time of writing) moving towards Vietnam. The event caused widespread damage, with reports suggesting thousands of deaths and an order of magnitude more displaced. The impact on communities through loss of livelihoods and homes cannot be overestimated.
The disaster in the Philippines is an example of a multi-hazard event, where a disaster is not composed of one hazard, but is a function of a number of cascading or concurrent hazards. An enormous storm event (Typhoon Haiyan) triggered lightning, flooding and many landslide events – as well as a large storm surge. The disaster is a function of the vulnerability of communities, which is a highly dynamic factor. Last month an earthquake struck the Philippines causing damage to the Bohol region. Individuals and groups impacted by this earthquake are likely to have been had an increased vulnerability to future events occurring shortly after the earthquake (such as this Typhoon). An effort was made to move those impacted by the earthquake and still living in tents, to more secure accommodation. As is so often the case with multi-hazard type events, the impacts are much greater than the sum of their parts.
A huge relief effort is now underway, with many of the major international charities launching appeals to help those most affected. We will be carefully watching the situation and sharing any key updates on our social media. You can also find more helpful information on the sites noted below.
Further Reading
Relief Web – A collection of articles on the disaster, regularly updated.
Guardian Natural Disasters – General Event Commentary and multiple articles
The Landslide Blog (Professor Dave Petley) – Landslides and Typhoon Haiyan
Disasters Emergency Committee – Relief Effort Information
