What could have been done to prevent Odette destruction? Siargao native shares insight

A Siargao native and environmental advocate shared her insights on what could have been possibly done to prevent the heavy damage resulting from Typhoon Odette, the fiercest tropical cyclone to hit the country this year.

In an interview on "The Howie Severino Podcast," lawyer Lucille Sering, former vice chairperson of the country's Climate Change Commission, said beach resorts and houses in coastal communities which are prone to the brunt of typhoons must have better facilities and must be insured to help them withstand natural calamities and enable them to recover faster. 

Almost 99% of the 180,000 population of Siargao Island in Surigao del Norte, including tourists, were affected while the Siargao Airport terminal was also "totally damaged" after Odette made landfall over the island on Thursday, December 16.

“I mentioned like the risk transfer mechanism, insurance can help. If you still insist to stay there, you can have it insured. At least in the structure side. Because we all want near the beach. Pero ang batas kasi (But the law) also gives a certain number of meters [easement from the shoreline]. And a lot of the resorts are in a way violating that,” Sering said.

“So if you look at some, majority of them is really below the 30 meters [easement] but they're already there so what do you do? The DENR (Department of Environment and Natural Resources) tried to implement that [the regulation] since the structures are there. Maybe this would be the time to reevaluate that kind of regulation,” she explained.

Sering said resort owners must follow the regulations imposed by authorities for their safety in the face of possible stronger typhoons in the future.

She added that in international negotiations, they have brought up the need for infrastructure buildup to deal with climate change effects.

Meanwhile, Sering narrated her experience during her visit to Siargao Island last weekend after Typhoon Odette hit.

Most of the establishments, resorts, and houses have been destroyed while there was still no supply of electricity and water on the island, she said.

“Nakita natin electrical post, also a lot of towers na nasira. May ilan [na nasira]. Mangilan-ngilan ang nakatayo pero karamihan talaga bagsak. So pag-landing namin du’n, iba ang nasa taas. Pagbaba mo roon, mas grabe. Parang kung war zone,” she added.

(We saw electrical posts, also a lot of towers damaged. There are some [damaged]. A few [posts] were still standing but most of them fell. So when we land there, the sight when you are in the sky is different than when you land. It is worse. It is like a war zone.)

Sering said relief operations among affected families on the island are ongoing.

The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) said the areas most affected by Typhoon Odette are northeastern Mindanao, Western Visayas, Central Visayas, and Palawan.

It added that 177 people were reported dead, 275 were injured, and 38 were missing as of Wednesday, December 22. —KG, GMA News