Friday, March 21, 2014

Caloy to test DavNor's disaster coordination system

DAVAO DEL NORTE, March 21 (PIA)- The Climate Change Adaptation- Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction Management (CCA-PDRRM) office in Davao del Norte is  set to test its standard disaster coordination procedure in the midst of tropical depression (TD) Caloy.

In an interview,  CCA-PDRRM executive officer Romulo Tagalo revealed his attendance this afternoon to the meeting of the members of the League of Mayors in Davao del Norte to brief them of  the general situation in the province relative to TD Caloy.

He  will  also be discussing with them the standard  coordination procedure  during disaster that was framed in the recently held Workshop on the Four  Protocols on Disaster Risk Reduction Management.

The CCA-PDRRM office also sets an emergency meeting this afternoon  at 3:00 p.m. with the Local Disaster Risk Reduction Management Officers (LDDRMOs) of all towns and cities in the province  and with the Provincial Disaster Needs Assessment (PDNA) Team members.

 “It  may be just a signal number one; It  may be overacting because we have called for a meeting  but better be overacting than  be sorry  in the middle of the typhoon,” he said. “It’s better to be always prepared,” he added.

The proposed coordination requires all members of the PDNA Team to report at the PDRRM operation center (Opcen) once the Incident Command System (ICS) is activated.

Crucial during ICS activation  are the Provincial Social Welfare Office (PSWDO), Provincial Engineering Office (PEO), the Provincial Health Office (PHO) and the Provincial Agriculture Office (PAGRO)  to extend immediate assistance and to conduct damage assessment, Tagalo said.

The rescue groups are also expected to be on a 24-hour on-standby at the Opcen for deployment to LGUs asking for assistance.

While the responders do their operation during occurrence of any disaster, the PDNA Team will do a simultaneously validation  of reports from LGUs to come up with consistent data to be presented to the PDRMM Council as basis of a proposal for state of calamity declaration by the Sangguniang Panlalawigan, Tagalo explained.

Meanwhile,  the CCA-PDRRM office this morning decided to carry on the ICS operation  when PAGASA released  at 5:00 a.m. tropical depression advisory on “Caloy”, placing  Davao del Norte under Public Storm Warning Signal No. 1, along with the Davao Region Provinces of Davao Oriental and Compostela Valley.
PAGASA Weather Advisory at 11:00 a.m. today,  included Davao City and northern part of Davao del Sur among the Davao Region areas placed under PSWS No. 1.

Tagalo expected  that the local government units affected by LPA in the last the last three days had carried over  the ICS and that he presumed other LGUs in the province to activate its ICS due to  TD Caloy.

He, however, could not outright determine the suspension of classes saying he still had to consult the mayors as weather condition today has stayed normal with no occurrence of raining except for presence of heavy dark clouds engulfing the entire province.

“If TD Caloy would persist by Monday, we would  should know what would be the mechanism . We will call the mayors for them to say yes or no to the suspension of classes before the Governor (Rodolfo P. Del Rosario) will make the overall declaration,”  Tagalo explained.  (PIA 11/ Jeanevive Duron Abangan)

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