DSWD taps int’l groups for camp and data management

THE Department of Social Welfare and Development in Central Visayas (DSWD-7) has tapped the expertise of International Organization of Migrants (IOM) and the Office for Coordination of Humanitarian Agencies (OCHA) in the operation of evacuation centers in disaster-stricken areas.

DSWD Assistant Secretary Camilo Gudmalin said expertise from these two partners are needed to refresh both national and local social workers and other service providers on how an evacuation center (EC) or camp will be managed including the kinds of information needed as well as tools to come up with a uniform and standard structure for all ECs.

With these new inputs, conditions in the 74 ECs in the quake-hit towns of Guihulngan (39 ECs), Jimalalud (3 ECs), La Libertad (10 ECs) and Tayasan (22 ECs) , all in Negros Oriental, will be improved to see participation of the displaced individuals and families and ensure that their rights are protected through adequate service delivery.

Gudmalin said climate change is real and that the DSWD has to improve its management in terms of its responses as the future will be more difficult and challenging to handle.

He said DSWD will not just work for the better but smarter as well. Further, he shared the fearless forecast of having more natural calamities in the future as the country is foreseen to experience 25 typhoons a year.

With the inputs given, the DSWD intends to establish disaster preparedness measures like more effective warning system, disaster risk mapping, evacuation plans, warehousing and logistics and conducting family disaster preparedness training in the municipal, city and barangay levels.

The DSWD-7 is now mass producing its family access cards for the 74 identified evacuation centers in Negros Oriental. With the FAC, the service providers will easily track the different services as well as relief goods given to disaster victims.