Typhoon fatigue taking toll on rescuers, repeat evacuees

With six tropical cyclones hitting the country in just five weeks, "typhoon fatigue" is starting to take a toll on disaster response and rescue personnel and victims who have been in and out of evacuation centers, according to the Office of Civil Defense (OCD).

- MICHAEL PUNONGBAYAN

Repeated search, rescue and relief operations just days apart are exhausting and may spark feelings of hopelessness among residents who are forced to leave their homes almost every week, Civil Defense Administrator Ariel Nepomuceno said.

"The psychosocial impact of calamities was taken up before by Environment Secretary Toni Loyzaga. Our kababayans in evacuation centers experience extreme trauma, especially the children," Nepomuceno told radio dzBB yesterday.

Disaster response personnel from Eastern Visayas and Metro Manila were sent to the Bicol Region and Cagayan Valley during the onslaught of Severe Tropical Storm Kristine so that the personnel there could rest, Nepomuceno recalled.