Davao del Norte ready for disasters

TAGUM CITY, Davao del Norte, May 11 – Governor Rodolfo P. del Rosario said the Province of Davao del Norte is now safer and more disaster-resilient with the approval of the Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction Management Plan of the province for 2012.

The PDRRM Council approved the disaster plan of the province during its regular meeting last May 10, 2012 presided by the governor. Gov. del Rosario said the plan instituted the framework that would enable the province to prevent, prepare for, mitigate the impacts of, respond to, and recover from, a range of disasters that could adversely affect the communities.

The plan, which has a budgetary requirement of P61.2 million, include, among others, the establishment of the PDRRM operation center; purchase of a rescue armory vehicle and fiber boat; establishment of province-wide automatic early warning system; institutionalization of incident command systems from the province down to the barangay level; improvement and repair of roads and drainage systems; purchase of amphibious backhoe for desilting of river systems; and, provision of various assistance to disaster victims.

The governor expressed his heartfelt gratitude to the Council, particularly to the sectoral committees for their effort in crafting the plan.

Yet, while he urged the members of the council to make the plan “a true and reliable instrument to reduce and manage risk”, he encouraged the communities to do their part in preparing for disasters, especially during normal periods. “Risk reduction is an everyday concern for everyone,” del Rosario said. (Noel Baguio-PGO Info DavNor)