A biblical concept for disaster preparedness

The locals are not quite sure why New Washington, an Aklan town less than half an hour away from the provincial capital of Kalibo, was so named.

Vice Gov. Gabrielle C. Quimo said that, from what she had heard, it was because many of the Thomasite teachers who were sent to the town during the American occupation were from Washington DC, capital of the United States.

Wikipedia, on the other hand, says the town was named by the Thomasites after the first US President, George Washington.

Whether named after the city or the President, the distinction hardly mattered to Supertyphoon “Yolanda’’ as it roared through Aklan in 2013, causing mayhem, destruction and death on its path.

Now, more than a year after the killer typhoon, New Washington is not just rebuilding, like other towns and cities Yolanda destroyed, but is also taking steps to be more prepared when another disaster strikes.

It inaugurated last week a new symbol of both its rehabilitation and disaster-preparedness, one that harks back to biblical times. Named Noah’s Ark, it is a school building during normal times and an evacuation center during times of calamity.

Classroom and shelter

Like the original vessel built to preserve lives when the great floods occurred, the modern Noah’s Ark is designed to be a refuge for New Washington residents who may be forced to leave their homes during natural or human-made calamities. It is located a few meters away from a life-size statue of beloved native son Jaime Cardinal Sin, a prominent figure in the “rescue’’ of Filipinos from tyrannical rule through the People Power Revolution in 1986.

New Washington Elementary School (NWES), where Sin and his siblings studied, hosts the town’s Noah’s Ark. Emelda Q. Fuentes, principal of NWES, said the structure would initially be used for Grade 6 classes.

Later, if they get the go-ahead from the Department of Education (DepEd), special education (SPED) classes will be held there.

“It will be ideal for SPED students,’’ Fuentes said, “as the building has its own entrance so the children do not have to interact with regular students until they are ready for integration.’’

As an evacuation center, she said Noah’s Ark was also well-placed. Next door to the town’s sports center, first refuge of choice of displaced residents, the Ark can catch the spillover evacuees conveniently, safely and easily.

Noah’s Ark, one of seven built in Aklan through the partnership of Globe Telecom’s premium brand, Globe Platinum, with Globe Rewards and Habitat for Humanity, “was designed to withstand winds of up to 275 kilometers per hour (Yolanda, at its fiercest, had winds of 195 kph) and 7.5- to 8.0-magnitude earthquake,’’ said Yvonne Lih, Habitat chief marketing officer.

Lih said Habitat prepared the technical design, which had to meet requirements of the DepEd and standards set by the Department of Public Works and Highways. Each structure costs an average of P1 million.

Each structure has its own toilet and bath, as well as kitchen facilities.

Kaisie del Carmen, director of Globe Platinum, said the idea for the brand to get involved in Yolanda rehabilitation came from its own clients. Platinum subscribers (clients with postpaid plans of P5,000), she said, “wanted to participate in the brand’s corporate social responsibility initiatives’’ and waived loyalty rewards so the money could go into projects like Noah’s Ark.

During the blessing and inauguration of Noah’s Ark, Gov. Florencio Miraflores, in a message read by provincial board member Plaridel Morana, said Yolanda caused damage amounting to billions of pesos and affected some 150,000 families in Aklan.

Ernesto F. Servillon Jr., assistant schools supervisor, who formally accepted the donation from Globe and Habitat, said Noah’s Ark would not just save actual victims of calamities but also save the future of the country by providing shelter to children.

Design contest

During the formal turnover of Noah’s Ark, Globe also awarded winners in a competition to design thank-you cards for Platinum subscribers to acknowledge their donation to the project.

Seven students, using basic, as well as other art materials including popsicle sticks, submitted entries based on the theme “My dreams will become a reality with this school.”

All participants received school supply kits. The most creative design winner received an art set while the top winner, whose design will be used for Platinum’s thank-you cards, received a school bag.

After the inauguration, Globe and Habitat volunteers, guests and students joined in on the DepEd’s annual Brigada Eskwela, a school maintenance program undertaken by teachers and volunteers before the opening of classes. They gave some classrooms a new coat of paint and created a mural for Noah’s Ark.

Fuentes said there really was not a lot to do in terms of preparing their school for the resumption of classes, as the students’ mothers kept the rooms clean.

“Every day, a different group of mothers clean the classrooms,’’ the principal said. She said the mothers had organized themselves so it would be easy to give assignments.

Fuentes said mothers were also active participants in the school’s feeding program and, in the process, learned basic hygiene and sanitation practices.

Jhonalie Tolentino, mother of a Grade 6 NWES student, said parents were willing to do their share in ensuring the comfort of their children in school. Tolentino is a parent-leader of 4Ps (Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program that gives financial assistance to poor families) beneficiaries.

Aside from New Washington, Globe and Habitat also built Noah’s Arks in the Aklan towns of Libacao, Madalag, Banga, Altavas and Balete.

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