TACLOBAN CITY-Residents of Costa Brava in Barangay 88, San Jose district, this city, conducted an evacuation drill Saturday (July 28) as part of their activity relative to the observance of the National Disaster Resilience this month.
Costa Brava, including other villages in San Jose district, was among the most heavily damaged area when Tacloban City was pummeled by super typhoon ‘Yolanda’ on November 8,2013.
During the drill, about 150 residents of the village were ‘evacuated’ to San Jose Elementary School, about 700 meters away from the village, as the identified evacuation center.
Leading the drill were members of the RE-SERVE Humanitarian Corps, a volunteer group composed of responders from various local government units, humanitarian organizations, community groups, and students.
The corps are trained to provide solar power to humanitarian and emergency responders.
“We need accessible energy sources in times of disasters. This is why we volunteered to join the RE-Serve Humanitarian Corps and trained to help provide solar power not only to our communities but to others in need,” RE-Serve spokesperson Janice Bertulfo said.
This is the first time for the corps to conduct a community drill of this scale here in Tacloban City, and they hope to extend their work in other parts of the region, she said.
Their skills in operating a drone, satellite phones and other response tools were also tested, she added.
The City Disaster Risk and Reduction and Management Office (CDRRMO) of Tacloban also witnessed the drill in a bid to institutionalize this response mechanism into their CDRRM plan, particularly in addressing energy needs during disaster.
Brgy. 88 chairwoman Emelita Montalban said that the drill was timely especially as survivors of Yolanda, they have to be reminded of the things to do in case another typhoon hit their area.
(LIZBETH ANN A. ABELLA)
