GOVERNMENT agencies led by the Office of Civil Defense (OCD) will construct temporary shelters for Leyte families whose houses were destroyed by tropical storm “Agaton.”
OCD administrator Ricardo Jalad yesterday said 160 temporary shelters will be prioritized for construction in Baybay City and Abuyog town which were severely hit by landslides.
“The timetable for their completion is June 10,” said Jalad, concurrent executive director of the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC).
NDRRMC chairman and Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana presided over a meeting of the NDRRMC on Monday and discussed proposals for the construction of the temporary shelters.
The Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development is finalizing a permanent and standard shelter program for the victims of Agaton. The program will be submitted to the NDRRMC for approval.
The OCD will provide construction materials and funding for the construction while the local government units of Baybay and Abuyog will provide sites of the temporary shelters.
The Mines and Geosciences Bureau of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources is tasked to conduct site assessment while the Department of Public Works and Highways will handle site inspection, preparation and site development.
The Armed Forces will deploy personnel for the actual construction of the temporary shelters while the Department of Social Welfare and Development will provide food and cash-for-work for volunteers.
The Department of Interior and Local Government will ensure the compliance of the Baybay and Abuyog governments with the relocation program.
Jalad said heavy equipment of the DPWH are already prepositioned for preparation of the site. “Once that is finished, that will be time our carpenters will come in for the construction,” said Jalad.
The NDRRMC said that as of last Sunday, at least 332 houses were reported destroyed by Agaton in Baybay City and Abuyog town and 340 others were damaged.
