TRANSITION SHELTER. Some of the temporary shelters in Baybay City built for survivors of the killer landslides that hit the area on April 10, 2022. The government is building 216 units of temporary shelters for victims of recent landslides in Baybay City and Abuyog town in Leyte, the Office of Civil Defense reported on Friday (July 22, 2022). (Photo courtesy of Baybay City Engineering Office)
TACLOBAN CITY – The government is building 216 units of temporary shelter for victims of recent landslides in Baybay City and Abuyog town in Leyte province, the Office of Civil Defense (OCD) reported on Friday.
Of the total, 144 units are in Baybay and 72 units in Abuyog, OCD 8 (Eastern Visayas) Assistant Director Rey Gozon said.
The 144 in Baybay include the 40 units that were turned over to recipients last week and the 32 units that were recently completed. The remaining 72 units are up for construction under the second phase.
“Site preparation for Abuyog takes a little longer since the area is muddy. We hope to start the construction of (the) transition shelter by August,” Gozon said in a press briefing.
He is upbeat about completing the project within the third quarter of 2022.
The shelter has concrete flooring, steel and Hardiflex walls, and corrugated sheet roofing. Each unit has water and power supplies.
Families will stay in the shelter while waiting for the completion of permanent housing.
The Department of Public Works and Highways handled the site inspection, preparation, and development of the site identified as safe by the Mines and Geosciences Bureau (MGB).
The Philippine Army has been tasked to deploy engineering battalion personnel to work on the construction while volunteers from the community are provided with food and cash by the Department of Social Welfare and Development.
The Department of the Interior and Local Government will make sure that the local government complies with the relocation program.
On April 10, at least 128 people died due to several landslide incidents in Baybay City.
Two days later, a village in Abuyog was wiped out by a landslide, killing at least 58 residents.
The MGB’s regional office initially identified eight villages in Baybay City as danger zones after showing early signs of landslides.
It found the communities’ susceptibility after a thorough assessment of the areas in response to reports from residents of visible tension cracks.
The result of the assessment has been relayed to local government units for the enforcement of “no dwelling zones.” (PNA)
