Balay Mindanaw Disaster Response Updates
For the week February 20-27, 2012
Dear Friends,
We continue to share with you these updates as our own modest way of acknowledging your continuing support.
Again, thank you very much for helping us become resources for others.
Padayon…
Relief Work:
The Municipality of Midsayap asked Balay Mindanaw’s help in the distribution of its relief assistance consisting of 15 boxes of assorted goods. Three representatives sent by Dra. Imelda Soriano from IDS-GCCM Integral Development Services – Grace Christian Community in Midsayap, Cotabato came to Cagayan de Oro to do the inventory, checking, sorting, repacking, including the distribution of goods. Balay Mindanaw provided the data on the number of families in the evacuation centers and assisted in the distribution. The relief kits were distributed to the following areas: Bulua Elementary School received 65 relief kits, Bulua gym 18, Iponan 51, Canitoan Elementary School 56, Kauswagan 25, Gusa 37, 62 relief kits to Indahag 1 and 66 to Indahag 2 – for a total of 380 families.
Fifty one (51) more sets of relief kits from Kuya Fish Campaign (Japan) with each kit containing kettle, chamber pot and thermal pot were distributed to the Sendong survivors in Barangay Iponan.
WASH
Four bathing cubicles for men in Indahag Tent Community 1 have been built, while construction of latrines is still on going.
Shelter
There is an on-going construction of a community center in the Tent Community 1. The materials were provided by IOM, with the residents providing manual labor as their counterpart.
Data validation was done to the following areas: Tent Community 2 has increased to 66 families and 309 individuals. Tent Community 3 has 37 families and 161 individuals. Canitoan has 56 families. Iponan has 51 families and 242 individuals. Bulua Gym has 18 families and 86 individuals, while Bulua Elementary School has 63 families and 245 individuals. Kauswagan now has 25 families and 103 individuals.
Photo documentation and stories of IDPs in Barangays Bonbon and Kauswagan who were given shelter repair kits from Habitat for Humanity are being collected, as part of the partnership agreement.
Livelihood
The Habitat for Humanity represented by Fr. Jun Sayago and Richard Rejas of KPMFI met to explore the livelihood and income opportunities available to survivors offered by the planned construction of permanent shelters in Indahag and Calaanan. Initial discussions focused on the possible demand (volume) of hollow blocks that could be supplied by the IDPs themselves. Habitat for Humanity and Balay Mindanaw agreed on the next possible steps: mobilization of interested IDPs, business development, and fund sourcing.
RDRRMC Updates
Balay Mindanaw has been invited together with the members of the Regional Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council Region 10 to help conduct the 1st Post Disaster Needs Assessment (PDNA)-Damage and Loss Assessment (DALA) in affected areas of TS Sendong, specifically CDO and Iligan, upon the referral of Butch Olano, UNDP.
Dra. Reyes, the DR Advisor of RDRRMC, said that the National Government has advised the NDRRMC to present post disaster recommendations in affected areas of Cagayan de Oro City and Iligan City.
PDNA is a standard methodology being promoted by multi-lateral organizations. PDNA results will be used as basis for recovery and planning. It was agreed that instead of hiring experts to do the assessment, local human resources in the region will be mobilized.
The sectors that will be assessed are: Economic Sector – commerce, industry, tourism, financial sector, agriculture and enterprises; Social Sector – housing, health, education and cultural heritage; Infrastructure Sector – power, water supply and sanitation, flood control, drainage system and dam management, transportation and telecommunications; and Cross-Sectoral – local government, social protection and DRRM.
The actual PDNA-DALA timeline of activities is as follows: Training of experts – 5-9 March; Sectoral/team assessment (fieldwork, analysis, and consultations) – 12-13 March; Prioritization of needs – 26-30 March; Report writing – 2-3 April; 10-11 April; and Submission of Reports – 12 April.
Richard Rejas and Bing Mordeno from Balay Mindanaw will be parts of the Economic and Cross-Sectoral teams, respectively.
Resources:
The in-flow of resources has significantly slowed down. As we exert efforts to tap more long-term, programmatic and sustainable partnerships with resources agencies, we also continue to capacitate ourselves in the intricacies of disaster prevention, mitigation, response and resiliency-building work.
We refuse to be victims. We choose to be resources.
Balay Mindanaw