When Tropical Storm Washi struck the Philippines on Dec. 16, the slow-moving storm dumped up to 13 inches of rain on the northern edge of Mindanao.

The resulting flash floods and mudslides have left more than 1,060 people dead or missing and more than 300,000 people displaced from their homes, according to the Philippine government -- numbers that are expected to rise as relief crews move farther into damaged areas.

The storm, known locally as "Sendong," has also sparked a national discussion about the Philippines' preparation for natural disasters and its ability to cope with future climate change.

Entire villages were wiped out when flash floods hit the southern Philippine island of Mindanao on Dec. 16. "Washi" was the 19th storm to hit the country in 2011. Photo courtesy of Oxfam.

"Climate change is here," proclaimed the headline on an editorial published Tuesday by Business Mirror.

"Climate change and global warming are here, no doubt about it," the piece continued. "And the government should have in place comprehensive plans for identified disaster-prone areas, such as coastal and mountainside communities, to minimize loss of lives and destruction of property, public infrastructure and agricultural crops when disaster strikes."

Loren Legarda, chairwoman of the Philippine Senate's climate change committee, said Sendong makes clear the link between climate change and her country's vital interests.

"With this calamitous flood disaster, now the fourth that has struck our country, and the second in Mindanao just this year, climate change is now a clear and present danger and a national security for our country," she said in a statement.

Nearly 3/4 of provinces vulnerable to storms

Meanwhile, several Philippine papers have pointed to a 2009 report from the WWF-Philippines and the Bank of the Philippines Islands that evaluated how climate change would affect the country's major cities.

The analysis concluded that several cities -- including Cagayan de Oro and Iligan, both hit hard by Sendong -- were "at risk of massive flooding" in the aftermath of a tropical cyclone, the Philippine Daily Inquirer reported this week.

Whether climate change will bring more tropical cyclones to the Philippines isn't clear, according to a recent special report on extreme weather by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.

The IPCC report, released in November, said it is likely that heavy rainfalls from tropical cyclones will intensify as the planet warms, and maximum wind speeds recorded during those storms are likely to increase. But the IPCC also said that scientists believe the global frequency of the storms will either decrease or remain unchanged.

Wading into the climate debate, Philippine President Benigno Aquino said Wednesday that Tropical Storm Sendong made clear that his country must do more to prepare for climate change and to prevent deaths from natural disasters.

"When I entered office, I was told that 43 of the 80 provinces in the Philippines -- more than half -- are vulnerable when storms strike," Aquino said in a statement released Wednesday. "That stunned me, and I had them re-verify these numbers. When the research came back, they amended the tally to comprise 66 provinces at risk."

Although the country has installed new weather radar systems in several cities and improved coordination among federal and local governments, Aquino said the Philippines has not done all it can to prepare for extreme weather.

U.N. seeking millions more in aid

He cited a geohazard map produced before Sendong hit that shows one area battered by the storm, Isla de Oro in Cagayan de Oro, is prone to flooding during a typhoon.

"Why are people still living there?" Aquino said. "If we know cutting down trees will cause the land on the sides of mountains to give way more easily, why do we cut these trees down so that the land may be tilled? Why do we continue to hear reports of logs swept down the river from Lanao into Iligan? Why are there still some who persist in doing what is wrong?"

Margareta Wahlström, the U.N. secretary-general's special representative on disaster risk reduction, said Sendong also highlighted how difficult it can be for officials to convince people to heed weather warnings.

"The storm was identified two days before flash floods swept through Cagayan de Oro City and Iligan City," Wahlström said. "More must be done to educate people on disasters and climate change so they understand the risk they run when they refuse to heed warnings and do not evacuate on time."

In the short term, however, the main task for government officials and aid workers will be providing basic assistance to hundreds of thousands of people affected by the storm and resulting floods and mudslides.

The trail of destruction left by Sendong is striking to behold, U.N. humanitarian coordinator Soe Nyunt-U told the Associated Press yesterday.

"It was as if the cities were hit by an inland tsunami," Soe said. "Entire areas were completely flattened."

The United Nations said yesterday it will seek an additional $28.6 million -- on top of the $38 million it has requested already -- to help rebuild storm-ravaged areas and provide clean water, food and emergency shelter to displaced residents.

The new money is necessary to assist struggling communities in northern Mindanao, the United Nations' humanitarian office said, including the cities of Cagayan de Oro and Iligan, areas where relief agencies fear flooding and a lack of sanitation could spark disease outbreaks.

According to Oxfam International, 80 percent of Cagayan de Oro is without running water -- a situation the group expects could persist for a month or more.