A RESOLUTION declaring a state of calamity in Davao Oriental is set to be approved Monday, Feb. 4, by the provincial board to open access to emergency funds, which will be used for rehabilitation and assistance projects in towns hit by flooding and landslides last month. The declaration is based on the recommendation submitted last Friday by the Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (PDRRMC). Six of the province’s 11 local government units, all municipalities within the 1st District, have earlier declared their respective state of calamity. In a statement, the provincial government said PDRRMC reported an initial estimated P105.6 million worth of damage to infrastructure, agriculture and fisheries. A total of 66,733 families have been affected, with 199 houses partially damaged and 64 houses totally destroyed. Three deaths due to flash floods were also reported in Manay town.
DISASTER-PREPAREDNESS
The province, which has an Incident Command System for disaster preparedness and response, forged a partnership last Dec. with the Davao Oriental State College of Science and Technology (DOSCST) for the establishment of the Institute for Environmental Systems. The project involved the installation of localized weather stations in the 10 municipalities and one city in the province. The partnership will also come up with the Local Climate Change Action Plan and the implementation of the Community Early Warning System and resiliency training in landslide-prone villages in the province. The provincial government will provide P7.2 million for the various components of the project, while DOSCST will cover P2 million for the early warning system, resiliency training, and the server of the weather stations at its main campus in Mati City.

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