[ad_1]
Residents living in flood and landslide prone areas in three Cordilleras provinces have been preemptively evacuated as the government accelerated preparations for Siony, which had been forecast to escalate into a typhoon as it passed over Batanes on Friday.
The evacuation of threatened residents in Kalinga, Apayao and Benguet was carried out while the government continued relief operation and damage assessments in the provinces hit by Typhoon Rolly, in particular Albay and Catanduanes.
The Philippine National Police reported that 28 people died while another 44 were injured due to Typhoon Rolly. Another six remained missing.
The National Council for Disaster Risk Reduction and Management also reported that damage to infrastructure and agriculture has already totaled more than P11.3 billion.
The Department of Public Works and Roads said that all national highways in Albay and the neighboring province of Camarines Sur are now passable after days of massive cleanup operations.
“We would like to extend our thanks to the 1st and 2nd DEOs of DPWH Sorsogon [district engineering offices] with their manpower and additional equipment deployed in Albay that allowed us to accelerate the opening of roads affected by the recent super typhoon, ”said Secretary of Public Works Mark A. Villar.
Villar said they were also looking to increase DPWH teams at Catanduanes, to speed up the ongoing clearing operations there.
The DPWH said three national highways in the province remained impassable as of Thursday morning due to landslides, downed trees and downed power poles.
Gatchalian: Tap emergency fund
SEN. Sherwin T. Gatchalian is urging affected electric cooperatives (ECs) to tap into an existing emergency fund of Q250 million to quickly restore disrupted power supply in typhoon-ravaged areas.
Gatchalian, chairman of the Senate energy committee, confirmed that the fund available in the 2020 national budget was accurately allocated for EC to draw “to finance rehabilitation works on damaged power lines.”
The senator advised the EC to “seek assistance under Republic Law 11039, also known as the Electric Cooperatives Emergency and Resilience Fund (ECERF), to accelerate the restoration of power supply in communities devastated by the typhoon. “.
In a press release, Gatchalian confirmed initial reports that “power and communication lines are down in most of Catanduanes and Albay,” bearing the brunt of Typhoon Rolly’s onslaught.
“Reports say that it may take at least 2 months to restore power in Albay since more than 70 percent of the power poles throughout the province suffered serious damage,” said the senator, emphasizing the urgency of restoring electricity supply in the affected areas.
Although the affected areas have not yet fully recovered, the senator noted that after typhoons Quinta and Rolly, “the country is now preparing for Tropical Storm Siony, which experts predict will intensify and possibly make landfall between Thursday. at night and on Friday morning. “
However, he clarified that the emergency and resilience fund administered by the National Electrification Administration (NEA) is intended exclusively for the restoration or rehabilitation of EC, or distribution of public services (DU), infrastructure damaged after a fortuitous event or Force Majeure.
Gatchalian recalled that the ECERF, promulgated by President Duterte on June 29, 2018, had an initial allocation of P250 million for 2020 that remained unused as of June 30, 2020.
The senator stated that “electricity cooperatives and distribution companies can draw funds from the ECERF to allow them to repair their facilities as quickly as possible,” noting that many power poles were toppled by Typhoons Quinta and Rolly. “They can take advantage of these funds to seek financial help from the government,” said the senator.
Gatchalian, who was the author and lead sponsor of RA 11039, clarified that “this is a response fund.”
“We have to use this before situations like these. They can quickly restore power lines without having to worry about transferring costs to the customers they serve, ”the senator emphasized.
Help for rebuilding homes
The Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development (DHSUD) will provide its emergency assistance to those whose homes were damaged or destroyed by Typhoon Rolly in cash through the local government.
DHSUD Secretary Eduardo del Rosario, in a press release, said the government will provide P10,000 of cash assistance to families whose homes were destroyed and P5,000 to those whose homes were partially damaged.
Del Rosario said that this was the decision taken after a coordination meeting with the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), the National Housing Authority (NHA) and DHSUD Regional Offices 4A and 5.
“I have instructed the interested agencies, while I wait for the final data to be presented by the local government units, to organize a series of teams that will go to the affected provinces, prepare the money, go to the affected areas and give the cash. directly on the ground, ”said del Rosario.
DHSUD, through the NHA, will use funds from its Emergency Housing Assistance Program (EHAP). DHSUD previously told BusinessMirror that this will amount to P1.175 billion and will be borne by NHA and DSWD.
Del Rosario also directed DHSUD officials, particularly the directors of Regions 4A, 4B, and 5 who were beaten by “Rolly” to immediately meet with their counterparts from the NHA and DSWD to discuss delivery mechanisms and organize teams to deliver assistance immediately.
Initial reports showed that at least 79,000 houses have been partially damaged by the typhoon, while another 30,384 were destroyed by the strongest typhoon so far to hit the country this year. Most of the damaged houses were made of lightweight materials.
Meanwhile, in terms of the possible resettlement of families affected by the typhoon, del Rosario said the department would need to coordinate with the LGUs to formulate an effective relocation strategy.
Del Rosario said that all measures would have to be carried out after in-depth planning and in close consultation with affected communities.
He said that relocation can be done with funds from the National Fund for Disaster Risk Reduction and Management.
Earlier, NHA Deputy Director General Victor C. Balba told BusinessMirror that they are still discussing how typhoon victims can access EHAP funds.
He said access to EHAP funds will begin with a roster of social workers in local government units certified by local executives.
