Quake survivors in Itbayat return home

STARTING AGAIN A resident of Itbayat, Batanes province, tries to salvage materials from his house that collapsed after strong earthquakes rocked the town on July 27. —NATHAN ALCANTARA

ITBAYAT, Batanes, Philippines — Most earthquake survivors here have returned home to begin the arduous task of rebuilding their ruined houses after enduring days of discomfort in tents.

A total of 72 families, or 261 people, have remained camped out under tents at the town plaza as the rest of the 1,025 displaced families, or 2,968 people, have been allowed to go back to their homes, officials of the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) said.

Roldan Esdicul, Batanes provincial disaster risk reduction and management officer, said those staying at the evacuation site had no houses to return to after these were destroyed by the twin earthquakes that struck this town on July 27.

The tremors killed nine people, injured more than 60 others and damaged at least 260 houses in five villages, according to the NDRRMC.

Classes also resumed on Monday in makeshift classrooms while two damaged schools were being repaired, Esdicul said.

Bad weather

A Navy ship that will bring galvanized iron sheets to this northernmost town is expected to arrive here this week, local officials said.

According to Esdicul, bringing in relief goods and construction materials from Cagayan Valley and Metro Manila was halted due to the bad weather.

Mayor Raul de Sagon said their priority was to provide alternative shelters for the survivors’ crumbled houses using large steel pipes as foundation.

Batanes Gov. Marilou Cayco said more funds were needed to rebuild vital structures such as the town hall, hospital, rural health unit and water system in Itbayat.

Cayco said relief goods, medicine and other basic necessities for quake victims continued to arrive here with the help of volunteers and donors.

Around the town, villagers were seen retrieving roofing materials from the debris of quake-damaged houses while old women prepared and distributed meals to victims staying in tents.

Latest data from the
NDRRMC showed that infrastructures worth P229,410,228 were damaged by the quakes. A total of 378 aftershocks had been recorded in Itbayat since the 5.4- and 5.9-magnitude quakes jolted the town three hours apart on July 27.—With a report from Villamor Visaya Jr.

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The Philippine Daily Inquirer is helping extend relief to the families affected by the recent earthquakes in Batanes. Cash donations may be deposited to the Inquirer Foundation Corp.’s Banco De Oro (BDO) current account No. 007960018860. Inquiries may be addressed and emailed to the Inquirer’s Corporate Affairs office through [email protected], or call 8978808 local 238 or 352.