CEBU CITY, Philippines – The Cebu City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (CDRRMO) is asking all barangay chiefs in the city to submit their disaster plans.
CDRRMO Officer-in-charge Ramil Ayuman said that this is in preparation for the new normal as traditional disaster response may now have to change to accommodate health protocols such as social distancing.
Ayuman said this is important as the country approaches the cold season when typhoons and other disaster such landslides or flashfloods are expected to be more frequent.
The Barangay Disaster Plans (BDP) will give the city a database on how to respond to the possible disasters in each barangay, such as where to take the evacuees, and how to manage the relief aid.
The barangays will need to include a hazard map of their barangays, which will allow the CDRRMO to prepare and put up mitigating measures ahead of expected disasters like a typhoon.
This is expected to prevent the loss of lives, livestocks, and damage to properties.
“The BDP will help the CDRRMO foresee any disasters that may come with typhoons, heavy rains, and even in the aftermath of unpredictable disasters like earthquakes,” said Ayuman.
The CDRRMO aims for the BDP to be part of the requirements of the barangays to get their annual budget approved by the council, but they are still working on the legalities of this.
The disaster agency hopes for the cooperation of the barangays so that disaster response may become more efficient through the cooperation of the villages and the city government.
Ayuman said they will also be training disaster responders in the barangays soon such as the tanods and even boy scouts in the area to respond first to disaster.
This will allow quicker first response while waiting for the city government’s emergency response team to arrive and this could potentially save more lives in the future. They hope to conduct the trainings soon or before the year ends. /bmjo
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