COMPARISONS have been made between Storm “Ondoy,” which flooded Metro Manila and a big part of Luzon, and Hurricane “Katrina,” the most destructive natural disaster in American history which laid waste an area the size of the United Kingdom. We do not want to be called a copycat, but it might be a good idea to follow the example of the US Senate which conducted an inquiry into government and private sector response to Katrina and have the proper Senate committees conduct an investigation into our response to Ondoy.

The US Senate committees on homeland security and governmental affairs found that the suffering of tens of thousands of people continued longer than it should have because of the failure of government at all levels to plan, prepare for and respond aggressively to the storm. It also found that there was a failure, over time, to develop the capacity for a coordinated, national response to a truly catastrophic event, whether caused by nature or by man. The title of the committee report says it all: “Hurricane Katrina: A Nation Still Unprepared.” Four years after the attack on the Twin Towers of the Trade Center, the United States was still unprepared to cope with a major disaster.

Sounds familiar? We Filipinos, who live right smack in the Pacific Belt of Fire and experience every year at least a score of typhoons, earthquakes, landslides and volcanic eruptions, have not put in place an effective disaster preparedness and response program.

Here are some observations on what happened before and after Ondoy struck:

The Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration said two days before Ondoy that it expected the storm “to enhance the southwest monsoon and bring rains to a large part of the country.” It also said that “residents in low-lying areas and near mountain sides are advised to watch out for flash floods and landslides.” Was this warning disseminated over the mass media outlets, particularly TV and radio?

Did officers of the National Disaster Coordinating Council not monitor hourly the rise in the level of the floodwaters and warn those living in low-lying areas to move to higher ground?

Thousands of people were marooned on rooftops for hours, many without food, water and protection from the strong wind and rain. Where were the boats and amphibian trucks that could have been used to rescue them quickly? In Marikina, one of the worst-hit cities, only two rubber boats were used for rescue operations.

Were there no helicopters that could have picked up people on the rooftops?

Government agencies were slow in distributing food and medicines to the flood victims. Thankfully, private sector groups speedily went into action and distributed relief goods and other necessities.

There was no well-coordinated disaster communication system that would have enabled people in distress to get in touch with rescue teams speedily. But thankfully, people in the private sector used social networking sites and other means to put people in touch with their stranded or marooned relatives and friends.

There were also stories of heroism and the work of Good Samaritans who helped their fellowmen in distress, like the soldier who saved 20 people from swirling flood waters in Famy, Laguna, before he himself was swept away by the flood. Or the two other soldiers and four militiamen who also drowned while rescuing people in Famy and Mabitac. Or the Chinese-Filipino family in Quezon City who gave food and shelter to about 1,000 people in their big house.

Back to the “Katrina Report.” It cited the “effective and heroic search-and-rescue efforts by the US Coast Guard, and the outstanding performance of certain members of the private sector in restoring essential services to the devastated communities and providing relief to the victims.” It added that “[t]he Coast Guard and certain private-sector businesses both conducted extensive planning and training for disasters, and they put that preparation into use when disaster struck.”

Perhaps our government and private sector could take a lesson from that, conduct an inquiry into what went wrong and what was done right after Ondoy struck, strengthen existing agencies and institutions, and plan, prepare and train well for future disasters.