NDRRMC to build temporary shelters for 'Agaton' victims
The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) has begun the preparations for the establishment of a temporary housing program for the victims of Typhoon “Agaton.”
NDRRMC Chairman and Department of National Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana presided an inter-agency meeting which was attended by NDRRMC Executive Director Ricardo Jalad and representatives from all member-agencies on Monday, April 25.
During the meeting, the Council discussed the proposal for the building of temporary shelters to address the immediate needs of the landslide-affected families in Abuyog and Baybay City in Leyte.
Jalad said that the target date of accomplishment of the project is on June 10, 2022. Out of the total 16,382 houses that were destroyed by Agaton in eight regions, there were 1,008 units located in Eastern Visayas (Region 8).
“It was agreed in the meeting that the OCD will be providing the construction materials and funding,” said Jalad, who also serves as the OCD’s Administrator.
Meanwhile, the Department of Environment and Natural Resources – Mines and Geosciences Bureau (DENR-MGB) was tasked to conduct site assessment in the area where the temporary shelters will be built to ensure that the residents will be relocated to a safe place.
On the other hand, the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) will handle the site inspection, preparation, and appropriate site development while the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) will provide food and other assistance for work volunteers.
The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) will deploy manpower to work on the construction while the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) was tasked to ensure the compliance of the Baybay and Abuyog local government units (LGUs) in the relocation program.
While the NDRRMC works out the temporary housing program, a permanent and standard shelter program is now being crafted by the Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development which they will present to the NDRRMC as the lead agency of the Council’s Shelter Cluster.
The post-disaster analysis, observations, and recommendations were also presented during the meeting to enhance the NDRRMC’s response efforts in future similar scenarios.
Assistant Secretary Bernardo Rafaelito Alejandro IV, OCD deputy administrator for operations, recommended that the existing early warning systems for landslides and other hazards should be improved.
He added that there should be a reinforced guidelines on forced evacuation, early relocation of communities and critical facilities, and reexamination of capacities of regional DRRMCs and local DRRMCs in the operationalization of response clusters.