65 million Filipinos at risk to disasters, says expert

MANILA, Philippines—Criss-crossed by active faults and located in the “bulls-eye” of storms, the Philippines is the world’s third “riskiest” country and is more vulnerable to rising sea-levels, subsiding land and warming temperatures than Solomon Islands in the Pacific Ocean.
Ma. Antonia J. Yulo Loyzaga, executive director of the Manila Observatory, painted this grim scenario during her talk on the Philippines’ increasing vulnerability to disasters and climate change in Makati City on Tuesday.
Loyzaga said 50 million schoolchildren are exposed to earthquake hazards while 15 million residents in coastal towns are vulnerable to rising sea-levels.

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Philippines a high risk country

EDITORIAL - High-risk country
(The Philippine Star) Updated September 13, 2011 12:00 AM Comments (6)

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All countries are vulnerable to natural disasters. Japan is still in the process of recovering from the catastrophic earthquake and tsunami. The US East Coast was recently devastated by a powerful hurricane.

Yet those countries are not on the list of those most vulnerable to the destruction caused by natural disasters. Iceland, which has experienced two of the most powerful volcanic eruptions in recent years, is in fact listed in the World Risk Index as one of the five countries with the lowest vulnerability to disasters.