ZAMBOANGA CITY - The Office of
Civil Defense (OCD)-IX bared its regional preparation for the rainy season
during the Regional Disaster Risk Reduction Management Council (RDRRMC)-IX meeting
held at one of the local hotels here recently.
Jose
Eric Castillo of OCD reported that recent observations and
climate model forecast indicate that El Niño Southern Oscillation conditions
are likely to continue starting May up to August of this year.
“The onset of the
rainy season is expected on the last week of May to early June,” he said.
He said PAGASA
advisory states that rainfall distribution for May is expected to be near to
above normal in most parts of the country.
“Slightly cooler
surface air temperatures are expected in many parts of the country. Predicted
ranges of temperature for the month will be 22°C to 36°C over the lowlands of Luzon, 16°C to 26°C over the mountainous areas of Luzon,
23°C to 35°C for Visayas, 23°C to 35°C over the lowlands of Mindanao and 19°C to 32°C over the mountainous areas of
Mindanao,” he reported.
“This
is the reason why the RDRRMC needs to have a contingency plan for the rainy
season just so we be prepared for any eventualities,” he said.
Castillo
also the ongoing preparations conducted by the OCD.
One of the continuing preparations of OCD is
the conduct of inventory of non-food items (NFIs).
Castillo said OCD had started its inventory of NFIs since
May 3, “just so we know what are the readily available NFIs in the event of any
disaster during the rainy season,” he said.
He also disclosed that the OCD is now also conducting inventory
of available resources (human and material) to assess who and what are the
available resources that may be used or tapped during disaster- whether
human-induced hazards or natural.
OCD is also active in the ongoing conduct of Evacuation
Drill on Flood, Lightning, and Landslide.
OCD is yet to implement other activities in preparation for
the rainy season. These include the 3-day Training on Post Disaster Need Analysis
(PDNA); Inventory of Safe Haven/Evacuation Centers; Activation of Task Force
Avenida or Brigada Kontra-Baha to Conduct Clean-up drive Operations on Rivers
and Coastal Areas; MOA signing with reservists (PN-NRCWM, 6th ARCEN-PAF,
PA-RCDG9, PCG-CGSWM Auxiliary) and the conduct of Rescue Olympics.
The RDRRMC IX
meeting was conducted to discuss the draft Regional DRRM Plan, 2013 National
Disaster Consciousness Month observance and Gawad KALASAG and the organization
of an All-Hazard Incident Management Team.