DPWH builds 116 bunkhouses for ‘Yolanda’ survivors

By: Frances Mangosing - 10 years ago

A Filipino man climbs up on a wooden structure as he rebuilds his house in a neighborhood devastated by Typhoon Haiyan in Tacloban, Philippines. AP FILE PHOTO

MANILA, Philippines–The Department of Public Works and Highways has built 116 bunkhouses for the victims of super typhoon Yolanda (international name Haiyan).

There will be 24 families or 120 persons each bunkhouse. An estimated 2,800 families or up to 14,000 will benefit from the project.

National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council Executive Director Eduardo del Rosario on Tuesday said there will be bunkhouses in the following areas:

10 in Tacloban

11 in Palo, Leyte

18 in Basey, Samar

18 in Marabut, Samar

26 in Guiuan, Eastern Samar

30 in Hernani, Eastern Samar

3 in Giporlos, Eastern Samar

“It’s a long building, it has partitions, a centralized kitchen and comfort rooms and they have provisions for health facilities for doctors and medical assistants,” he told reporters.

In a press briefing, del Rosario emphasized that easement had been defined in Tacloban and that residents won’t be allowed to occupy 40 meters from the shoreline.

Coastal areas in parts of Eastern Visayas were hardly hit by Yolanda, the strongest storm to make a landfall. As of latest, there were 5,240 persons killed and millions were affected.

The coastal areas in Tacloban will be planted with mangroves.

“Because per study conducted, mangroves can decrease by 70 percent yung strength ng storm surge. So mangrove is very important, and letting our settlers to still occupy that 40-meter easement would mean putting them into another risk or danger again,” del Rosario said.

He added that they are already coordinating with local government units so they will be enforced.

Damage from the typhoon has reached P24 billion and del Rosario said it was possible that it could still increase.