Resilient Urban Communities: Stories from the Ketsana Rehabilitation Programme

When Tropical Storm Ketsana (local name: Ondoy) hit the Philippines on September 26, 2009." For scholars and practitioners of disaster management, new frameworks and strategies emerged as we all grappled with the historic disaster that very few people saw coming: Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR), Climate Change Adaptation (CCA), Resilience.

Ketsana could not have chosen a more "appropriate" place to hit than Metro Manila and its surrounding megalopolis to grab the world's attention. When floodwaters began to rapidly rise after a day of incessant rains (455 millimeters in 24 hours), they gave rise to what turned out to be tons and tons of debris and garbage, much of which ended up clogging natural waterways and drainage systems. Hours after the floodwaters receded and as people began the massive cleanup operations, the obvious could not be stated enough: Metro Manila had a serious garbage problem and an equally dire drainage infrastructure. Many other factors were blamed and later validated: poor urban and settlements planning, overcrowded communities living in high risk areas, substandard infrastructure, and unsustainable resource management.

In the meantime, hundreds of thousands of people were housed in evacuation centers, while even more stayed in their homes trying to save their properties and belongings. Power was down in most parts of the metropolis, and mobility was very limited because most major streets were either deep in floodwaters or filled with stranded vehicles and people. Economic and social activities were severely halted, with businesses, government and private offices, and schools declaring non-working holidays so people could deal with the emergency in their own ways. By the end of September 27, most local governments had declared a State of Calamity, whereas the national government had officially called for assistance from the UN and international humanitarian organizations.

Three years after Ketsana, it is now quite apparent that the attention on emergencies in the Philippines has been elevated to the level of public discourse. It gave focus to the specific hazards and risks faced by urban centers like Metro Manila, and how the pace and quality of urbanization has a direct correlation with people's vulnerabilities. There is also a growing recognition of the human side of disasters by many humanitarian and development actors. Before Ketsana, disaster risk analysis mainly focused on the hazards and exposure elements, and how we could mitigate the effects of disasters. Now there is growing consciousness on the human side of the equation, especially on the vulnerabilities of communities and the existing capacities of institutions, as well as the need to install preparedness and sustainability measures into interventions.