NEDA, OCD lead Cordillera rehab
THE CLUSTER Committee on Disaster Rehabilitation and Recovery of the Cordillera Administrative Region Regional Disaster Risk Reduction Management Council (RDRRMC) recently discuss the formulation of the Ompong rehabilitation and recovery plan to set direction in the reconstruction and recovery from the effects caused by typhoon Ompong.
The meeting was presided by Disaster Rehabilitation and Recovery Committee Chair and National Economic and Development Authority CAR regional director Milagros Rimando.
The Office of the Civil Defense reported as of September 28, typhoon Ompong affected 100,204 families with 390,819 individuals across the region. The death toll reached 114 individuals, 94 from Itogon. Furthermore, around 3,258 families in Itogon are in need of permanent relocation.
Damage to agriculture and fisheries including irrigation reached P5.92 billion while damage to infrastructure which include roads, bridges, flood control, public building, health facilities, and school buildings amounted to P3.51 billion.
The committee approved the conduct of a Post Disaster Needs Assessment (PDNA) to be led by the OCD in coordination with the concerned national government agencies and local government units. PDNA is a tool to gather, validate, and analyze data needed in the formulation of the Rehabilitation and Recovery Plan for typhoon Ompong. The plan will cover sectors on infrastructure, social services, settlement, livelihood, and agriculture.
RDRRMC Chairperson and OCD-CAR regional director Ruben Carandang said evacuation centers are among the most ur-
gent needs. He emphasized the need for provincial and municipal DRRMCs to submit lists of buildings or lots as potential evacuation site as use of evacuation centers takes weeks.
“We need to locate where to place the evacuees not just schools because the education of the children will be affected,” said Carandang.
The committee further agreed to submit agency and LGU damage reports including rehabilitation and recovery plans to NEDA and OCD for integration in the Regional Ompong Rehabilitation and Recovery Plan.
The result of the PDNA together with the regional Rehabilitation and Recovery plan will be submitted to the NDRRMC for funding.