‘Noah’s Ark’ drills prepare villagers for future disasters
CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY—Josie Bahian, a resident of Purok Tibasak in Barangay Macasandig, got up before the sun did on Saturday morning. She packed some blankets, water, biscuits, medicines and milk in a tattered travel bag. She then went to the nearby covered court, along with two of her children and some neighbors.
Bahian, along with some 200 people in Macasandig, volunteered to participate in a warning and evacuation drill for flood-prone communities. Nearly eight months after Tropical Storm “Sendong” destroyed her house, Bahian is back to where she and her family evacuated.
“Even though I am still traumatized by my experience with Sendong, I decided to participate in the drill because I want to be prepared the next time something like that happens again,” she said.
The training exercise, called “Noah’s Ark,” is a program of the Corporate Network for Disaster Response (CNDR) and Smart Communications to help flood-prone communities prepare for calamities.
“We follow a trail of disasters. Communities hit by disasters tend to be more receptive to do new things to mitigate the problem,” said Ramon Isberto, head of Smart’s public affairs and CNDR chair.
The training for the Macasandig barangay officials started last March with a risk assessment discussion for a clear scenario on the different hazards that they may face in the event of a flood.
Dr. Cedric Daep, chief officer of Albay Public Safety Emergency Management Office and consultant of CNDR, gave his insights and technical expertise on how to go about with the warning and evacuation process. Albay is considered one of the provinces in the country with the most advanced disaster preparedness strategies.
“The warning and evacuation drill aims to have zero casualty in the community level,” he said.
Several workshops were held on the principles and practical application of community-based risk management. They also developed an early warning system, communication protocols and evacuation procedures.
Six task units were formed: warning, communication, evacuation, transportation, security and relief.
The culmination of the six-month collaboration with Macasandig and CNDR is the actual community flood drill, a one-day exercise conducted by the local disaster risk and reduction management council and participated in by local residents in identified high-risk areas to test the effectiveness of the contingency plan.
One of the vulnerable areas identified was the evacuation centers. Sendong happened during the holidays, during which the classrooms were not used by the students.
It was also observed that most of the evacuees in the drill did not bring basic necessities like water.
“There should be a plan for the evacuation centers, where residents are already assigned to classrooms. There should also be a family seminar for the community so they will know what to bring in the event of an evacuation,” Daep said.
He added that a “master list” of the residents in the community is highly critical in disaster preparedness.
Barangay Chair Aaron Neri said he would encourage other barangays to replicate the training conducted in Macasandig.
“We plan to continue this activity. We have already identified our weak areas, so we will improve on those,” he said.
Macasandig was selected for the training because it is a high-risk area for flood. Neri also said the area was the “ground zero” during the onslaught of Sendong, which left 500 people dead and missing.
Noah’s Ark was piloted in Barangay Malanday in Marikina, after it was ravaged by Tropical Storm “Ondoy.” The program was replicated in Bacolod City and would soon be given to barangay officials in Iligan City. Cai Panlilio, Inquirer Mindanao
