ABSTRACT
This chapter examines reactions to the 2004 Indian Ocean Tsunami in Sri Lanka and the 2013 Typhoon Haiyan that devastated the Philippines. Climate change is affecting all peoples on the planet, albeit in different ways. The 2004 Indian Ocean Earthquake and Tsunami of 2004 devastated 12 countries bordering that body of water and killed nearly 300,000 people on December 26. The tsunami that accompanied megathrust earthquake had waves that rose to 30 metres in height, which destroyed buildings with the ease of breaking matchsticks. Climate change is being highlighted as a contributory factor to the large number of 'natural' disasters that hit the Philippines yearly. One of the strongest tropical cyclones to hit land in the Philippines was Typhoon Haiyan or Typhoon Yolanda as it was known locally in the Philippines. The Philippine Citizen's Disaster Preparedness Centre is an NGO that has developed community-based disaster responses in vulnerable communities.
