Possible Questions
1. By virtue of Executive Order 137 series of 1999, July was declared as National Disaster Consciousness Month, this year the celebration bears the theme “----“ As a student, explain the value and relevance of this year’s theme in our present time.
There is no greater solution to what’s happening in our country today than to be united in one cause. The fact that we are gathered together in this great hall with the hope alleviating and educating ourselves on disaster risk management and reduction is a part of that solution. I may be young and innocent but innocence is different from ignorance. There is no valid point in arguing whether one contestant in this competition excels the most, the fact that we are here today, to stand before you all and give our speech on how to mitigate disasters is a win-win solution not just for myself or everyone around here but for our community.
In the recent years, our country has been plagued by typhoons, earthquakes, and other natural hazards. But it is important to keep in mind that disasters are not natural, they only occur when people lack preparedness or the ability to cope with hazards.
According to the United Nations, disasters imposed large humanitarian and developmental challenges, the frequency and severity of disasters increased over the last few years due to climate change. According to them, 226 Million people are affected by these hazards every year and in 2000-2010 almost 680,000 people died on earthquakes due to poorly constructed buildings. Now, these facts merely illustrated the difference between vulnerability and our capacity to cope if these tragedies happened. According to UN, a school in Japan saved hundreds of students merely because their building was constructed to withstand the most tragic disaster to hit the country in 2011. These are but an evidence of how knowledge on disaster preparedness is able to