BANGUED, Abra – As the province recuperates from the ravages left by Super Typhoon Lawin, the local government unit of Abra starts to gear up its stakeholders in anticipation of the imminent challenges this year.
In partnership with the Licuan-Baay Municipal Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council and its Barangay DRRM committees, the Office of Civil Defense Cordillera (OCD-CAR) held a Rapid Damage Assessment and Needs Analysis (RDANA) training course in Licuan-Baay on January 31 to February 2, 2017.
RDANA governs the mobilization of damage assessment teams and disaster response coordination and it helps convey the ‘situation on the ground’ to response organizations and governments. Damage assessment and needs analysis also identify critical needs and prescribe the priorities for response and recovery activities.
According to OCD-CAR Training Chief Ms. Guadaliva Panitio, RDANA is one of the most appropriate disaster preparedness activities or response tools for the region. This assesses the coping capacities during the calamity.
“Being the first line of defense, there is a need to enhance the capacity of our local counterparts in Abra to address the present disaster risks in their localities,” added Ms. Panitio.
About 50 Participants participated in the RDANA training which included interactive lecture discussion as well as skills demonstration through simulation exercises.
Also, since Abra is also prone to landslides, another training course will be held on February 7 to 14, 2017 in Bangued Abra. The Mountain Search and Rescue (MoSAR) training will be participated in by 40 responders exclusively for the search, rescue and retrieval clusters in the province. The said training is to enhance search and rescue capabilities.
OCD-CAR, together with elite search and rescue unit from the Bureau of Fire Protection, will spearhead the MoSAR training with the Philippine National Police (PNP), Philippine Army and the member agencies of their provincial DRRM council.
MOSAR aims to enhance the capacity of participants to be more resourceful in conducting search, rescue and retrieval operations and to showcase their skills for SRR in mountainous areas.
By Celina Cleofe Padernal
