Albay Boosts Disaster Response Capability

LEGAZPI CITY, Oct. 27  - The provincial government of Albay is now working for a massive build-up on disaster response capability to secure the zero casualty goal.

"We have acquired 13 new rubber boats amounting to P5.5 million, nine units of ambulances worth P3.4 million and 1,000 public address systems, (P6 million at P6,000 each) to boost our disaster response," the governor said.

The country is expecting four-five more typhoons, and with typhoon tracks during the last quarter historically more southerly plus the abnormal rainfall content and the sudden rise of floodwaters experienced during "Ondoy" and "Pepeng" and possibly to be aggravated by a Mayon eruption, the provincial government is investing more on preparedness.

Salceda said that floods have become their biggest enemy more than wind strength. Lahar flows and landslides are next followed by storm surges.

"We are also expecting 18 more rubber boats from AECID (Agencia Espanola de Cooperacion Internacional para el Desarollo) which would be prepositioned in flood-prone barangays. So that we would have 43 rubber boats. Half of the PA systems have been delivered and would be distributed to barangays prioritized according to disaster risks," he said.

These would essentially be used for community warning, mobilization for evacuation and for camp management in the evacuation centers.

While preemptive evacuation remains their principal tool, Salceda said, they could not take chances since delays in implementation at the barangay level could not be totally discounted.

For lahar and landslide, however, preemptive evacuation is the only option since rescue almost always ended up as a body recovery operation, the governor said.

"Thus, we are also boosting our health emergency capability to improve access to pre-hospital (essentially the Albay Health Emergency Management) and hospital healthcare. (PNA)