In Context: How the Philippines Prepared for Typhoon Haiyan

The Philippines was rocked by typhoon Haiyan on Friday—reportedly one of the strongest on record—that is so far estimated to have killed at least three people and caused an unknown amount of damage.* Last month, a similar disaster struck India when the cyclone Phailin hit the country’s east coast from the Bay of Bengal, causing widespread flooding and killing an estimated 14 people.

Both incidents are notable for far worse outcomes avoided through careful preparation—the evacuation of hundreds of thousands of citizens in the path of both storms limited their human toll. As Phailin approached in mid-October, India evacuated some 800,000 people in pursuit of what an official called a “zero-casualty” approach to disaster preparedness, informed by the experience of a 1999 cyclone in which 10,000 were killed. In the Philippines, similarly, some 100,000 were reportedly sheltering in evacuation centers as the storm approached today.

This kind of preparedness is vital—particularly so for vulnerable populations clustered in areas prone to natural disasters—and it is becoming increasingly common, as Alain Guilloux explained in a July briefing for WPR.