IMPASSABLE Residents remove debris from the flooded Mocag Bridge in Baggao, Cagayan province. —File photo/Courtesy of the Baggao DRRMO
MANILA, Philippines — The US Agency for International Development (Usaid) donated several equipment to Cagayan province to boost their emergency disaster response.
A mobile storage unit and several mobile energy systems, worth more than P11.6 million ($208,000), were handed over to several towns in Cagayan, according to a statement from the US embassy in Manila on Tuesday.
Ryan Washburn, mission director of Usaid, handed over the mobile storage unit that can store 50,000 food packs to Cagayan provincial administrator Maria Rosario Mamba-Villaflor.
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Committed as ally, friend
The mobile storage unit will enable the provincial government to store food and nonfood items in advance so they can immediately deliver life-saving aid to victims in the aftermath of disasters.
“For many years, Usaid has dispatched teams to Cagayan and other provinces in Northern Luzon to support local government units in providing life-saving assistance during calamities,” the embassy said, quoting Washburn.
“As your friend, partner, and ally, the US government remains committed to strengthening our partnerships and working with the Philippine government to rebuild and restore lives following disasters,” Washburn added.
Power during disasters
Several mobile energy systems were also donated to the municipalities of Lal-Lo and Sta. Ana.
The embassy explained these can provide “clean and reliable power” that can support relief operations and essential services in the aftermath of disasters, as well as help restart the power grid.
“Because the systems are mobile, they can be deployed anywhere they are needed, particularly in remote and off-grid areas. Unlike traditional generator sets, they only require sunlight to recharge,” the embassy said.
To strengthen Cagayan’s emergency response efforts, the Usaid formalized a partnership with the Cagayan provincial government and the World Food Programme through the Preparedness and Response Excellence in the Philippines or PREP project.