Members of the Philippine Coast Guard work their way through floodwaters during a rescue operation in town of Isabela, Basilan Province, Philippines, January 11, 2023.
Philippine Coast Guard | via Reuters
The Philippines has been coping with torrential rains, flooding and landslides since early January, prompting President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. to declare an official “state of calamity” within the southern province of Misamis Occidental.
In keeping with the National Council for Disaster Risk Reduction and Management, no less than 28 people were killed in January and greater than 211,000 people were displaced. Heavy rains occurred almost each day this month and damaged homes, agriculture and infrastructure across the country.
Downpours occur though the Philippines normally has a cool, dry season from December to February. Misamis Occidental, the northern region of Mindanao and eastern Visayas within the central Philippines are among the many affected areas.
The Philippines, an archipelago of greater than 7,100 islands, is among the many countries most vulnerable to climate-related natural disasters, yet contributes little to global climate change.
The Philippines is frequently hit by 20 typhoons annually and about six to nine storms make landfall annually. The country also experiences frequent landslides and flooding, that are partly the result of the increasing intensity of tropical cyclones.
The president, who recently oversaw aid distribution at Misamis Occidental, said there should be a long-term solution to the country’s flooding problem.
“We take a look at every thing to seek out an answer,” Marcos he said last week. “But in the long run, we want to take into consideration how we will ensure that this never happens again.”
The deadly floods this month have sparked concerns about how they’re triggering climate change more frequent and intense extreme weather conditions throughout the country. Typhoons, rising sea levels, and storm surges, all of which put the Philippines’ urban and coastal populations at high risk, are expected to accentuate as climate change worsens.