UN/ISDR Calls for Increased Education on Disasters and Climate
Change 19 December 2011: In acknowledgement of the impacts of
Typhoon Sendong, which recently hit the south of the
Philippines, Margareta Wahlström, UN Secretary-General's Special
Representative on Disaster Risk Reduction and Chief of the UN
International Strategy for Disaster Reduction (UN/ISDR), offered
her sympathy to the people affected, and stressed there are
lessons to be learned from the tropical storm. In her message,
Wahlström underscored the need for increased education on
disasters and climate change, so that people understand the risk
they expose themselves to when they refuse to heed evacuation
warnings. Underscoring the need to improve the effectiveness of
early warning systems, Wahlström noted that storm was identified
two days before flash floods swept through Cagayan de Oro City
and Illigan City. Philippines Senator, Loren Legarda, and
UN/ISDR Disaster Risk Reduction Champion for Asia, also called
on local governments throughout t