Kill the rain forest, cause a mudslide

Re “Rescuers Hear Only Silence From Sea of Mud,” Feb. 19

The reporting of the mudslide disaster in the Philippines fails to address the causes of this catastrophe and seems to treat it as an act of God, thus absolving people of any responsibility. Failure to recognize and correct the human involvement in this tragedy will just lead to thousands more deaths in the future. In 2001, a team of scientists from Humboldt University of Berlin reported that forest cover on Leyte Island had decreased markedly since the late 1980s because of illegal logging with the support of government officials. Rain forests containing 500-year-old trees with roots penetrating the bedrock have been replaced by coconut plantations and very shallow roots. This is a recipe for a mudslide.

JAMES MARTIN

Claremont