Typhoon drills pushed

Typhoon drills and being prepared saved lives in the town of San Francisco in  Camotes Island  in north Cebu when typhoon Yolanda struck last month.
Before the storm hit, coastal residents  evacuated  to 34 school buildings. There were zero casualties.

“After typhoon Yolanda, we are given the chance to take another step to be more prepared, said  San Francisco  Vice Mayor Alfredo Arquillano yesterday in a press conference.

“There must be a higher level of awareness by informing people what is a ‘storm surge’,” he said.

Arquillano joined yesterday’s signing of a commitment  with 16 civil society groups and non-government organizations (NGO) with local governments of Madridejos and  Santa Fe in Bantayan Island, and San Francisco in Camotes Island.

The pact was for a Yolanda Emergency Response Consortium for Northern Cebu .

Partners called for other government agencies and the private sector to join efforts of rehabilitation and reconstruction to make communities disaster-resilient, sustainable and participatory.

This is a long-term project extending aid to affected areas of north Cebu, said Kaira Zoe Alburo, executive director of A2D.

Families who lost their homes should be able to own the property of their rebuilt residences, said Salvador Loyola Jr. of Pagtambayayong Foundation.
“How can they freely build and develop their homes if they don’t own the land?” he said.

A sustainable and long-term livelihood is needed for storm survivors to recover, said Luchie Blanco, regional coordinator of PhilDHRRA.

Arquillano said San Francisco town  had a typhoon drill  earlier in March to commemorate the town’s  devastation the town  during typhoon “Bising” in 1982.
During the drill, residents were briefed on the contents of an emergency kit, where to evacuate and how to get there.

People were  also taught risk assessment and identifying  the most vulnerable members  during a calamity.

“It’s a matter of organizing people because when there is an organization, it will result in a developed system and we can find an avenue of educating people,” said Arquillano.

Typhoon drills, in particular, are needed.

“It should be taken seriously so that it won’t be taken for granted,” he said.

A forced evacuation of islet residents was done before Yolanda hit Cebu on Nov. 8.

“Although most of the houses were affected by typhoon Yolanda, I am still happy that there was no recorded casualty from    our town,” he added.

He said leaders or decision makers must carry out top priorities and spread the right information.

Arquillano is  president of the Regional Center of Expertise on Education to Sustainable Development.

The Yolanda Emergency Response Consortium for Northern Cebu has  Caritas, Lihok Pilipina, Pagtambayayong Foundation, and Philippine Partnership for the Development of Human Resources in Rural Areas (PhilDHRRA) and A2D Project – Research Group for Alternatives to Development, Inc. for partners. /Michelle Joy L. Padayhag, Correspondent