フィリピン台風 被災者救援に日本も力尽くせ

The Yomiuri Shimbun November 14, 2013
Japan, other countries should do more to deal with natural disasters
フィリピン台風　被災者救援に日本も力尽くせ（11月13日付・読売社説）

Destruction from the killer typhoon that struck the Philippines produced a tragic scene reminiscent of areas devastated by the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake.
　東日本大震災の被災地を想起させる悲惨な光景が広がっている。

Typhoon Haiyan smashed into the Philippines Friday, a catastrophe that is believed to have left as many as 10,000 dead and affected an estimated 11.3 million people. Japan should do its utmost to aid the typhoon-ravaged country.
　猛烈な台風３０号が、フィリピンを直撃し、死者１万人とも言われる壊滅的な被害が出た。被災者は約１１３０万人に上る。日本は最大限の支援を急ぐべきだ。

The typhoon is believed to have registered a maximum wind velocity of 105 meters per second. Tacloban, the main city on Leyte Island, was severely damaged, with tsunami-like waves several meters high striking the area. Surging floodwaters destroyed a huge number of simple wooden houses in the city, and even wiped out some local communities.
　台風の最大瞬間風速は秒速１０５メートルだったとされる。最も被害が大きかったレイテ島の中心都市タクロバンは数メートルの高潮に襲われた。簡素な木造の住宅は破壊され、消滅した集落もあるという。

No contact has yet been made with many of the 133 Japanese residents on Leyte and neighboring Samar Island.
　レイテ島と隣のサマル島に住む邦人１３３人の多くとも連絡が取れないままだ。

There is a pressing need to search for and rescue missing people, while also treating those injured in the disaster. This must be complemented by efforts to deliver water, food and medical supplies to survivors.
　行方不明者の捜索や救助、負傷者の治療が急務である。同時に、被災者に水や食料、医薬品を届けなければならない。

It is also important to take hygiene measures to prevent people from falling victim to infectious diseases and other ill-effects caused by the typhoon.
　感染症などで犠牲者をこれ以上増やさないようにするための衛生対策も重要だ。

Though he reportedly called on his people to evacuate before the typhoon hit, Philippine President Benigno Aquino was unable to prevent a catastrophe. Little progress has been made in determining the extent of the damage. His administration also has been slow to release information about casualties. There is a growing lack of confidence among Filipinos in their government over its failure to take appropriate post-disaster measures.
　アキノ大統領は台風上陸前に避難を呼びかけたというが、甚大な被害を食い止められなかった。被災状況の把握が進まず、死傷者に関する情報の公開も遅れている。政府の対応の不手際には国民の不信感も高まっている。

The international community needs to extend its full support to the Philippines. There is much that can be done to aid the disaster-stricken country—not just rescue work. International assistance may include securing means of communications and transportation, and assembling relief supplies. In fact, Japan, the United States, China, the European Union and other nations have already announced what assistance they will provide.
　国際社会による全面的な支援が必要だ。被災者救出にとどまらず、通信手段や交通の確保、救援物資の集積など協力できることは多い。既に、日本をはじめ、米国、中国、欧州連合（ＥＵ）などが、次々に支援を表明している。

Set up typhoon info network

The Japanese government has sent a medical team from the Japan Disaster Relief Team to the Philippines, while also deciding to extend $10 million, or about ¥1 billion, in emergency grants-in-aid for that country.
　日本政府は、国際緊急援助隊の医療チームを現地に送るとともに、１０００万ドル（約１０億円）の緊急無償資金協力を決めた。

The government was quick to decide it would dispatch Self-Defense Forces personnel in response to a request from the Philippine government. A 50-member advance SDF team is scheduled to arrive first, with the aim of extending medical and other assistance to stricken areas.
　比政府の要請を受けて、政府が自衛隊の派遣を決めたのも妥当な判断だ。先遣隊５０人がまず現地入りし、医療支援などにあたる。

In the wake of the March 2011 earthquake and tsunami, Japan received a great deal of assistance from other countries, including the Philippines. Japan has an obligation to aid any disaster-hit nation.
　東日本大震災の際、日本は、フィリピンを含む各国から多大な支援を受けた。 国際的な災害支援は日本の責務と言えよう。

After coastal areas along the Indian Ocean were hit by tsunami generated by a massive earthquake in 2004, the Japanese government took the initiative in establishing a multilateral tsunami warning system covering the region.
　２００４年のインド洋津波の後、日本政府は、インド洋における多国間の津波警戒システムの構築に、主導的役割を果たした。

Japan’s initiative in this respect also covers typhoons. The Japan Meteorological Agency has provided other Asian nations with data from weather satellites and other weather-related information. A multilateral typhoon information network should be created to reduce damage caused by a disaster comparable to the typhoon.
　台風に関しても、日本の気象庁が、気象衛星のデータや予報情報をアジア諸国に提供しているが、今回のような被害を少しでも減らすために、同様の情報ネットワーク作りが求められる。

Asia is one of the world’s most disaster-prone regions. About half of the victims of natural calamities in the past 30 years have been in this part of the world.
　アジアは世界有数の自然災害多発地帯だ。過去３０年間の犠牲者の約半数が集中するという。

Japan, the Philippines and other Asian nations that frequently suffer typhoon damage should further increase their cooperation to reduce and manage devastation caused by typhoons.
　日本やフィリピンをはじめ、台風災害に苦しめられるアジア各国は、防災面での連携も一層強化すべきだろう。

(From The Yomiuri Shimbun, Nov. 13, 2013)
（2013年11月13日01時52分  読売新聞）