DILG's consol disaster preparedness evaluation results underway

2008/09/11

DILG's consol disaster preparedness evaluation results underway

by Jemin B. Guillermo

Roxas City (11 September) -- The Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) is on the process of consolidating the results of the recently concluded disaster preparedness evaluation.

Llanie Destacamento, Operation Services Chief of DILG Capiz Provincial Office, said that their field officers assigned in the various local government units in the province had already finished conducting the disaster preparedness assessment.

She said that the result of said evaluation will be the basis of the concerned LGU in taking appropriate action to meet the criteria for disaster preparedness.

DILG Secretary Ronaldo Puno earlier directed the DILG field offices nationwide to conduct a disaster preparedness audit of LGUs with the onset of the typhoon season in the country.

Puno stressed that "with or without typhoon, local government units must at all times be prepared for any emergency and must have the capability to address them."

In his memorandum to all DILG regional directors, Undersecretary for Local Government Austere Panadero directed the immediate assessment of the disaster prone provinces, cities and municipalities relative to their capabilities to address disastrous effects of typhoons, floods and landslides.

Accordingly, the disaster-preparedness audit must include information such as existence and ease of mobilizing the Local Disaster Coordinating Council (LDCC) and Disaster Action Team; availability of evacuation center; and, availability of appropriate equipment.

Said centers should have adequate relief goods and help in easing mobilizing medical and counseling services; availability of an operational community-based disaster early warning system (DEWS); ease of budgetary re-alignment for the purchase of supplies and materials or the payment of services which are exceptionally urgent or absolutely indispensable to prevent imminent danger to, or loss of, life or property, in the event the calamity fund is exhausted; and quality of disaster risk management plan.

Panadero said all these pieces of information indicate the capability of a particular local government in such areas as mitigation, relief, reconstruction, rehabilitation and related works and services.

He said that the audit is concerned with generating benchmark information as to which among the LGUs are prepared or not prepared in times of disasters and not about scaling or establishing the degree of preparedness or unpreparedness of provinces, cities and municipalities.

Expected outputs of the audit are national and regional inventories on the disaster preparedness of all LGUs, he said. (PIA)

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