Gov’t agencies ready, prepared to provide services in times of disasters -OCD 7

By Amorganda A. Saludar

Monday 16th of July 2012

CEBU CITY, July 16 (PIA) -- Members of the Regional Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (RDRRMC) in Central Visayas are ready and prepared to respond immediately in times of natural disasters amid the onset of the rainy season.

Office of the Civil Defense (OCD) - 7 regional director Minda Morante, who chairs the disaster council in Central Visayas said all its members are always on alert for large-scale disasters that might take place like earthquake, landslides, floods, and typhoons and prepared to roll out the necessary services needed by the people.

“During large-scale disasters, all the legitimate information that will be received by OCD 7 will also be forwarded to all other government agencies immediately, to prevent or to do the necessary action to mitigate the impact of the disaster,” Morante said.

Dr. Expedito Medalla, Department of Health – Health Emergency Management Staff (DOH - HEMS) -7 coordinator said that during disasters, all government agencies concerned will immediately call up OCD for details on the status of the calamity.

This is for each agency to determine what support and aid they can extend to the affected areas, said Medalla.

For the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) – 7, the first thing they do is to have an augmentation to the affected localities, said Social Welfare Officer 11- Crisis Invention Unit Edna Regudo.

At present, DSWD 7 still has 3,000 family packs as relief goods of which, one pack is good for a family of six persons. It also has P500, 000 for calamity-related financial aid, according to DSWD-7 Information Officer Jaybee Binghay.

Cebu City Fire Marshall S/Supt Aderson Comar of the Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) -7 said they will also support other government agencies during calamities.

“We will maximize the minimum resources, if our own resources lack, we will automatically ask assistance from other stations,” Comar said.

Cebu City Disaster Risk Management Committee (CCDRMC) Chief Alvin Santillana said they will coordinate with other government agencies and always support the DOH in times of calamities. They also conducted trainings in the different barangays on disaster management.

“We also agreed with an electronic billboard company that in case of emergency, any resolution or important information and warnings can be posted. The KBP (Kapisanan ng mga Brodkaster ng Pilipinas) also promised to support us,” Santillana added.

Dr. Joseph Alesna from the Vicente Sotto Memorial Medical Center assured that during calamities, the hospital is ready and prepared to attend to patients 24 hours a day.

“If in case we will also be affected, we need to re- function immediately. We need to stand because we need to be there for the people,” Alesna said. (FCR/AYS-PIA7, Cebu)