NDRRMC: Styrofoam can be lifesaver in flood-prone areas

While styrofoam may be a bane to environmentalists, it can be a lifesaver for families in flood-prone areas, disaster management officials said. National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) administrator Benito Ramos advised families in flood-prone areas to keep the foam for possible emergencies. “Sa individual family maghanda sila ng indigenous materials. Yung styropor na malaki, may takip, lagyan ng seal. Pwedeng pansamantalang panghagip sa pamilya para di malunod dahil may buoyancy capability ang styropor," Ramos said in an interview on dwIZ radio. (Individual families can prepare makeshift emergency materials in case of floods. Large slabs of styrofor can be used for flotation because it has buoyancy capability.) Styrofoam and “styropor" refer to the polystyrene foam currently commonly used for thermal insulation or packaging. Ramos said the other items that families can store as flotation devices in case of floods include basketballs and even old tires. He said while national and local government agencies are being exhorted to be ready for disasters, families must also be prepared. Floods and landslides in recent weeks had killed more than 70 people and destroyed more than P1.7 billion in property. Ramos said as the effects of climate change taking their toll, it is best that families learn to fend for themselves, at least until help arrives. “Ilang beses na sila binaha di makapaghanda. Dahil iba ang klima dapat matuto sa kalikasan ang ating kababayan," he said. (In many cases we encountered, families were caught unprepared for floods. Times are different now because of climate change. Families must be ready to cope with situations brought by climate change.) “Sinasabihan namin sila maghanda ang individual family (What we are saying is that individual families must learn to be prepared)," he added. – VVP, GMANews.TV