BAGUIO CITY – The new City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management (CDRRRM) building can accommodate at least 750 individuals at one time once the remaining 2 storeys of the structure are completed.
Local Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Officer (LDRRMO) Louie Glen Lardizabal said that with the present state of the facility, it can still accommodate 250 evacuees at one time while there were some over 70 individuals who were temporarily housed in the evacuation center during the recent rains aggravated by two previous typhoons.
The city government funded the initial construction of its CDRRM building within the compound of the City Engineering Office compound at Lower Rock Quarry at a cost of P70 million for the completion of the first 6 storeys of the structure while the bidding for the completion of the remaining 2 storeys is underway.
However, Lardizabal explained, the center will also serve as the city’s multipurpose facility during times that there is no evacuation to maximise its use for other activities such as trainings, conferences, meetings among others.
He added that the CDRRMO is also coordinating with the city’s 128 barangays for the identification of the possible evacuation centers in their areas of jurisdiction as immediate evacuation areas for residents during calamities.
Aside from the identification of the possible evacuation centers in the different barangays, Lardizabal claimed that the CDRRMO is also training barangay officials and volunteers to prepare them for emergency situations to help save lives and properties from being exposed to potential hazards.
The first batch of barangay officials and volunteers from 50 barangays were trained on various aspects of disaster prevention and response while representatives from another 20 barangays are awaiting to undergo similar training as part of the government’s efforts to empower people in communities to be resilient during disasters.
According to him, barangay officials are now actively reporting incidents which have already been acted on by their emergency responders unlike before when barangay officials call them to respond to emergency situations in their areas of jurisdiction.
He said the CDRRMO will continue providing the barangays in the city with the appropriate training for their volunteers and emergency responders to serve the needs of their constituents during emergency situations and spare them from being exposed to extreme danger.
The CDRRMC is a multi-agency body that supervises and monitors the implementation of disaster mitigating and climate change adaptation measures geared towards making the people in the communities disaster-resilient.
By Dexter A. See
