LGUs to integrate science in disaster preparation

MANILA -- Governors, mayors and other local government officials will soon learn how to integrate science in their disaster preparation and mitigation plans.

Department of Science and Technology (DOST) Secretary Mario Montejo said in a weekend press conference that the workshop, which begins on Monday until May 23, is in line with the agency’s project “Iba na ang Panahon: Science for Safer Communities.”

He said the move is to enhance capabilities of local government units (LGUs) to deal with calamities with the same magnitude as typhoon Yolanda (Haiyan), which killed more than 6, 200 people and destroyed billions of pesos in property last November 8.

“We had been able to draw up scenario-based strategies and protocols in dealing calamities, from warning, response, to rehabilitation. We are bringing them down to the provinces and municipalities and there’s no other time to start than now. Summer is just around the corner and we would rather make hay while the sun shines,” he said.

The DOST will train participants how to use disaster technologies while the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) and the Office of the Civil Defense (OCD) will teach them how to base their plans on avail-

able scientific data.

“Our objective is to increase the local risk knowledge of the local executives and the people in their communities, capacitate them to do an effective monitoring of a looming calamity, test their warning and communication protocols and build their response capabilities,” Montejo said.

He said the training modules are based on the country’s experiences from Yolanda and other calamities that occurred earlier such as storms Pablo and Ondoy.

The trainings will vary based on the hazard vulnerabilities of each locality.

“After these workshops, we expect local leaders and their communities to respond to our early warnings. As we have been doing, we will continue providing early warnings, and we expect them to give early actions to attain zero, or only minimal damage and casualties whenever a calamity hits them,” the science secretary said.

Margareta Wahlstrom, the UN Secretary-General’s Special Representative for Disaster Risk Reduction, also attended the press conference to show support for the project. (THIRD ANNE PERALTA/SUNNEX)