DAVAO ORIENTAL – The members of the Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (PDRRMC) have passed down a resolution recommending to put the province under a State of Calamity following the damages wrought by weeks of heavy rainfall.
During the Council’s emergency meeting called by its Chairman Governor Nelson Dayanghirang on Friday, the council members have agreed to fast track interventions to help the flood-stricken towns as they determined the extent of damage, prompting the Council to endorse the resolution.
The said resolution is set to adopted by the Sangguniang Panlalawigan on Monday in a special session said Vice Governor Niño Sotero Uy who was just designated by the Governor as the new Commander of Incident Command System in times of disasters. However, before the SP adopts the resolution, it will have to be supported by the needed documents and required data as basis for the declaration.
Out of eleven Local Government Units of the province, six have already been placed under State of Calamity after the floods and landslides triggered by heavy rains caused damages to properties and livelihood of the residents. These towns are all situated in the province’s first district namely Tarragona, Manay, Caraga, Baganga, Cateel, and Boston.
During the meeting, the consolidated report presented by the PDRRMC reveals massive damages in infrastructure and livelihood, particularly in these six towns.
Based on the data, a total of 66,733 families have been affected in 84 barangays here.
As per report, the initial total estimated cost of damage to infrastructure, agriculture and fisheries has reached a whopping total of P105.6 million. Also, among the damage are 199 houses that were partially destroyed while 64 houses were totally damaged.
Casualties include the death of three persons in Manay town who drowned when flash floods surged into their homes while they were asleep.
The council members anticipate that the declaration would help the province gain quick access to recovery funds that fast track provision of aid to affected families while keeping prices of basic goods stable.
Aside from the Council’s push to put the province under the state of calamity, it also discussed other urgent matters which include enjoining the commitment of all local chief executives in heightening of preparedness of all municipalities and beefing up massive information dissemination down to the barangay level to ensure casualties will not happen again.
The PDRRMC also expressed the pressing need to have a constant interfacing with their local counterparts to establish harmony in the reporting system while ensuring cascading all provincial action plan in terms of disaster. Photos by Riza M. Golez
