Study: Early aid eased 2024 PH storms鈥� impact
Aerial drone footage captures heavily flooded areas in the City of Ilagan, and in the nearby towns of Gamu and Quirino in Isabela province, due to heavy rains brought by Super Typhoon Pepito (international name Man-Yi) in November 2024. —INQUIRER FILE PHOTO
MANILA, Philippines — With the effects of extreme heat threatening countries located in the southwest Pacific region, such as the Philippines, a new study by the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) highlighted how “anticipatory action” can help mitigate the impacts of climate change.
According to the State of the Climate in the South-West Pacific 2024 Report, released on Thursday, last year was the warmest year on record so far in the region, harming ecosystems and economies.
The report noted that in the Philippines, an unprecedented 12 tropical cyclones were experienced from September to November—more than double the average — caused by persistently high ocean heat content in the Philippine Sea that began mid-April, among other factors.
“Across the entire sequence, over 13 million people were impacted in 17 of the country’s 18 regions, with more than 1.4 million displaced,” the report added, calling the collective impact of the 12 cyclones “devastating,” as early estimates of damage to infrastructure, homes and agriculture reached up to $430 million (P23.9 trillion).
But aside from the losses, the WMO report highlighted how certain “timely interventions,” such as the distribution of unconditional cash transfers and the evacuation of fishing boats to safer grounds, helped Filipino communities prepare and respond to the impacts of an upcoming typhoon.
Anticipatory action
“Strengthened early warning systems and anticipatory action in the Philippines enabled communities to prepare and respond to the storms, helping to protect lives and ensure dignified, timely support as climate-related shocks become more frequent and intense,” the study said.
The WMO recalled that in November, Supertyphoon “Pepito” (international name: Man-yi) entered the Philippine area of responsibility, the sixth storm to hit the country in just one month.
The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations, however, was able to quickly mobilize anticipatory action teams just three days before Pepito made landfall.
The FAO teams distributed unconditional cash transfers to 2,813 households in Catanduanes, while community cash grants were provided to seven fishing communities. Fisherfolk were provided support in evacuating 283 boats to safer grounds, with all interventions completed just eight hours before the typhoon struck.
Because of the quick response, Catanduanes fishers were able to resume fishing just one week after the typhoon, according to the report.
Two local fishers quoted in the study added how simulation exercises earlier conducted by the FAO taught them how to properly secure their boats during a typhoon, resulting in little to no damage to their vessels.
“[The] FAO also provided [our fisherfolk] association with cash assistance. [We] used this to buy nylon, epoxy, plywood, and fish baits. All these helped a lot because you can imagine how, after a typhoon, fishers do not have the money to buy these materials necessary to head out to sea right away,” Ronald Echiverria, a fisherman from Marambong, Pandan, said in the study.
For the WMO, anticipatory action will be a “key approach” for front-line communities when responding to impending extreme weather events, especially as climate-related shocks are expected to grow in frequency and intensity.
The report cautioned that the frequency of supertyphoons as well as the average maximum wind speeds of tropical cyclones were expected to rise, which will affect millions of Filipinos and cause severe damage to infrastructure, agriculture, and coastal areas.
