ILOILO City – In the wake of the recent earthquake that rocked Davao del Sur, the Office of Civil Defense (OCD) in Western Visayas ordered local government units (LGUs) to submit an accounting of their response equipment and volunteers.
The office released a memorandum on this directed to the chairpersons of the disaster risk reduction and management council in the provinces, cities and municipalities.
OCD regional director and Regional Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council chair Jose Roberto Nuñez said the inventory meant to “establish (earthquake) preparedness measures and arrange response priorities ahead of time in our region…”
This accounting will help identify localities that lack earthquake response equipment, he added.
“We want to identify the needs and put them on a checklist. At least we will know the areas which lack certain equipment that other areas can augment,” Nuñez said.
He urged LGUs to invest in disaster response equipment. They can also request from their respective Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (PDRRO) their need for the fund, he said.
The accounting of volunteers, meanwhile, aims to identify the volunteers who are yet to receive capability training from the OCD 6.
“Sometimes, we have volunteers that are still not equipped or trained in what they do. (We want to give them training) so they can hasten their action in the areas where they will be deployed,” said Nuñez.
The OCD director said the accounting will also identify equipment and trained personnel in the region that can possibly be deployed in Davao del Sur.
“Davao del Sur lack equipment. We initiated in the region, at least we have certain search and rescue equipment and one personnel that can be sent to the affected region,” he said.
A 6.9-magnitude earthquake struck Davao del Sur over the weekend.
All cities and provinces in Region 6 are expected to submit their report at 5 p.m. today.
Meanwhile, hotels in the region are also advised by OCD to conduct their safety briefing for possible earthquake during scheduled events or gathering.
In an advisory released on Monday, the OCD said hotel owners, operators, and other stakeholders are encouraged to identify or assign safety officers that will conduct safety briefings before the start of gatherings this holiday season.
“During the briefing, you are directed to orient your clients on what to do before, during and after an earthquake; evacuation route and plan; the designated evacuation area (should be an open space); and emergency hotline numbers,” it said. (PNA)
