Why wasn t the Philippines better prepa
Why wasn't the Philippines better prepared for the typhoon? Corruption, shoddy buildings to blame
Dan Kitwood / Getty Images
An aerial view of a demolished coastal town on Eastern Samar Island on Nov. 14 in Leyte,
Philippines.
By Jim Maceda, Correspondent, NBC News As the Philippines grapples with the devastating aftermath of Typhoon Haiyan, Filipinos are asking why the country wasn’t better prepared to deal with the super storm. Government officials claim they were ready, broadcasting warnings of a potential 20foot storm surge on the hour, starting two days before the typhoon hit. Jerry Yaokasin, Tacloban's vice mayor, told Reuters that "some people just didn't believe us because it was so sunny. Some were even laughing." Many local men reportedly stayed in their homes to protect their belongings from looters. "People were warned about the storm surge," said Toby Monsod, an economics professor at the University of the Philippines in Manila. "Though, many probably thought that it would be
one meter high, not five. This storm was off the scales," she told NBC News. Many are now blaming not just the reportedly 175 mph winds, but the flimsy construction of homes and buildings in the Philippines – and the years of government corruption which prevented the building of anything better.
Bullit Marquez / AP
A resident walks inside a damaged home in Tacloban on Nov. 10. Shacks instead of reinforced concrete
Antonio Lilles is a residential home builder in Manila who has spent the past week like most
Filipinos – glued to his cellphone, accounting for family members and making sure friends and employees are safe. He's also watched every video clip he could find on TV and YouTube of Super Typhoon
Haiyan, one of the most devastating storms ever to hit land. Lilles says he was shocked to see Alfred Romualdez, the mayor of Tacloban – the worsthit city within the disaster zone – telling the BBC that he and his family decided to
Dan Kitwood / Getty Images
An aerial view of a demolished coastal town on Eastern Samar Island on Nov. 14 in Leyte,
Philippines.
By Jim Maceda, Correspondent, NBC News As the Philippines grapples with the devastating aftermath of Typhoon Haiyan, Filipinos are asking why the country wasn’t better prepared to deal with the super storm. Government officials claim they were ready, broadcasting warnings of a potential 20foot storm surge on the hour, starting two days before the typhoon hit. Jerry Yaokasin, Tacloban's vice mayor, told Reuters that "some people just didn't believe us because it was so sunny. Some were even laughing." Many local men reportedly stayed in their homes to protect their belongings from looters. "People were warned about the storm surge," said Toby Monsod, an economics professor at the University of the Philippines in Manila. "Though, many probably thought that it would be
one meter high, not five. This storm was off the scales," she told NBC News. Many are now blaming not just the reportedly 175 mph winds, but the flimsy construction of homes and buildings in the Philippines – and the years of government corruption which prevented the building of anything better.
Bullit Marquez / AP
A resident walks inside a damaged home in Tacloban on Nov. 10. Shacks instead of reinforced concrete
Antonio Lilles is a residential home builder in Manila who has spent the past week like most
Filipinos – glued to his cellphone, accounting for family members and making sure friends and employees are safe. He's also watched every video clip he could find on TV and YouTube of Super Typhoon
Haiyan, one of the most devastating storms ever to hit land. Lilles says he was shocked to see Alfred Romualdez, the mayor of Tacloban – the worsthit city within the disaster zone – telling the BBC that he and his family decided to