Legarda: Let’s learn from US resilience to disasters

Senate environment committee chairperson Loren Legarda. INQUIRER/JESS YUSON

MANILA, Philippines – Businesses in the Philippines need to create disaster recovery plans to prevent great economic losses should a disaster strike the Philippines in the same way that superstorm Sandy hit the United States.

“Businesses in areas affected by superstorm Sandy were closed longer than expected because of electric shut down, utility losses, halted transit operations and road closures, thus resulting [in] huge economic losses,” Senator Loren Legarda said in a statement Monday.

“This scenario in a powerful nation should encourage other countries, especially developing ones including the Philippines, to take aggressive steps in ensuring the resilience to disasters not only of our households, residential communities, infrastructure and public places, but also of the business sector,” she added.

Superstorm Sandy hit the eastern coast of the US last week killing more than 100 people and leaving many cities at a standstill due to floods and power outages.

The storm is estimated to cost the US economy $50 billion in damages and losses, Legarda, chairperson of the Senate Committee on Climate Change, said citing US reports.

“It is important that private companies are able to come back to business as soon as possible every after a disaster, thus, they should be encouraged to come up with their business continuity plans that will show how prepared they are to face disasters,” said Legarda.

She added that business continuity plans will help establishments recover faster after being struck with a disaster.

The Philippines is struck by more than 20 tropical storms on a yearly basis, many of which cause wide spread damage to various parts of the country.