Philippines: Calabanga coastal barangay demonstrates evacuation drill
Provincial Capitol, Camarines Sur — More than sixty families from the coastal barangay of Punta Tarawal in Calabanga, Camarines Sur province evacuated at the Union Elementary School last Sunday, July 12, 2009. Men, women, children and the elderly, bringing only a few of their belongings, boarded boats upon signal given by barangay leaders, and proceeded to their designated evacuation site. The activity, led by the barangay and municipal Disaster Coordinating Councils, was a simulation of an actual evacuation of the high-risk barangay.
The drill capped a series of activities carried out by the residents of barangay Punta Tarawal, including trainings on community-based disaster risk management and disaster preparedness, and collectively updating their contingency plan. Through the trainings, the barangay reviewed their worst-case scenario, which was their basis in updating their contingency plan. The drill aims to test the effectiveness of the community’s contingency plan, particularly the early warning system and evacuation plan. It will also check how the Barangay Disaster Coordinating Council (BDCC) and the Municipal Disaster Coordinating Council (MDCC) will function, and coordinate actions in an emergency situation.
Punta Tarawal’s disaster risk reduction activities are part of the ACCORD Project, or Strengthening Assets and Capacities of Communities and Local Governments for Resilience to Disasters Project. Already on its second phase, ACCORD is a collaboration amongst the Corporate Network for Disaster Response, Agri-Aqua Development Coalition and CARE Nederland, with funding from the European Commission Humanitarian Aid department. The European Commission’s Humanitarian Aid department is one of the world’s largest providers of financing for humanitarian aid operations. Its mandate not only includes the funding of disaster relief but also the support of disaster preparedness activities, in particular at local level. Through its disaster preparedness programme (DIPECHO) it assists vulnerable people living in the main disaster-prone regions of the world in reducing the impact of natural disasters on their lives and livelihoods.
Punta Tarawal is one of the pilot areas of the ACCORD Project, which targets to strengthen preparedness and disaster risk reduction capacities of the most vulnerable barangays in Dingalan in Aurora, Calabanga in Camarines Sur, St. Bernard in Southern Leyte, Jabonga in Agusan del Norte and Maragusan in Campostela Valley. These areas are all prone to multiple hazards such as floods, typhoons, earthquakes and landslides.
Punta Tarawal’s geographic location and the poverty of its people make them vulnerable to floods and typhoons. Its proximity to San Miguel Bay and Bicol River makes them very susceptible to flooding incidents. Continuous heavy rains for 1 to 2 days isolates the entire barangay from the mainland. “This is a milestone for us in Punta Tarawal. This signifies our gains in protecting ourselves and our livelihoods from disasters that frequently visit us. We attribute our success to our own collective effort, and the support of the European Commission and partners in the ACCORD project,” said Barangay Chair Ronnie Coner of the significance of the evacuation drill.
For more information, contact:
Ciriaco Santiago III
Mobile Number: +639159092144
E-mail: sanjuncssr@yahoo.com
Mia Marie Brusola
Mobile Number: +639276764300
E-mail: mia.brusola@yahoo.com; mia.brusola@cndr,org.ph