Cebu City learns lesson from ‘Tino’, strengthens disaster preparedness

Local

A YEAR after Typhoon Tino struck, Cebu City Mayor Nestor Archival said the city continues to strengthen its disaster preparedness, particularly its equipment, rescue capabilities and evacuation facilities, based on lessons from the deadly storm.

“We survived, actually. Atoang direction karon is we will prepare, simbako og naa parehas atong Tino, mao na atoang gitan-aw,” Archival said on Wednesday, Nov. 4.

Archival acknowledged that no local government can achieve complete disaster preparedness but said the city must identify its shortcomings and improve its response mechanisms.

“There is no perfect, or 100 percent prepared. What we are trying to do is what atoang natagamtam atong niaging tuig nga naay typhoon, mangita ta og pamaagi nga ma-improve,” he said.

He said the city is looking into acquiring additional equipment, improving personnel's emergency response capabilities and strengthening coordination with neighboring local governments, including Liloan and Mandaue.

Archival cited the flooding in Barangay Bacayan as among the incidents that highlighted the need to improve the city's flood response.

He also stressed the importance of educating residents in hazard-prone communities, particularly those living near rivers and fault lines, about the need to evacuate early.

“Lesson learned is that we must be prepared. Mao gyud na importante kaayo, ug mga taw nga makasabot sila, especially ang mga taw nga naas gilid sa sapa o kilid sa fault line, nagpasabot dili maghuwat nga moigo ang tubig before sila manglakaw,” he said.

He said some residents remain reluctant to leave their homes and proceed to evacuation centers during disasters, making emergency operations more difficult.

The city is also working to secure funding for evacuation centers that could temporarily accommodate residents displaced by disasters.

Archival noted that fire victims are often brought to schools, disrupting classes, and said the proposed facilities could have generators and solar power to support displaced families.

The city is also expecting additional disaster-response equipment, which Archival hopes will arrive within the year or early next year.

He explained that the city sometimes has to bring its equipment to mountainous areas during calamities, leaving fewer resources available in the urban center.

On recovery, Archival estimated that the city had reached 95% recovery in terms of people's living conditions, but only 60% in housing.

He explained that while many affected families had already received lots or relocation areas, some had yet to rebuild their houses.

Meanwhile, Archival said the city had completed the distribution of its earlier calamity assistance and was shifting its attention to people affected by rising fuel prices, particularly drivers.

He said the distribution of assistance to habal-habal drivers had started three days earlier and would continue.

Addressing Tino survivors, Archival said the city government remains concerned about their welfare and encouraged those with complaints or requests for assistance to visit his office or the Department of Social Welfare and Development.

“Ang akoa lang, ang city government nagtan-aw gyud sa ilahang kaayohan,” he said.

He also called for remembering those who died during the typhoon and recognizing the rescuers, national government agencies and local governments that extended assistance to Cebu.

Archival made the remarks in an interview after joining Sen. Bong Go in distributing emergency housing assistance to 435 fire victims in Cebu City.

Of the beneficiaries, 308 received assistance at the Cebu City Sports Institute near Sawang Calero Barangay Hall, while another 127 were served at Alaska Elementary School in Barangay Mambaling.

Based on the National Housing Authority (NHA) breakdown, the 308 beneficiaries covered by the reported allocation received a total of P7.66 million. Of these, 229 received P30,000 each, totaling P6.87 million, while another 79 received P10,000 each, amounting to P790,000.

Cogon Pardo recorded the most beneficiaries with 70, followed by Lahug with 60, Kinasang-an with 38, Inayawan with 35, Sambag 2 with 26, Labangon with 21 and Tisa with eight.

The remaining beneficiaries came from Tejero with 40, Pulangbato with three, Bulacao with two, and Mambaling, Pung-ol Sibugay, Sambag 1, Sudlon II and Toong with one each.(MyTVCebu)