BAGUIO City’s Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (CDRRMC) is set to revisit its present disaster management plan to make the necessary revision following the effects of Typhoon “Ompong” (Mankhut).
DRRM representative Julius Santos said revisions on the present disaster management plan should be responsive to the times.
“The first thing we will do is to revisit our rescue, preparedness and response plan based on what we have experienced with Ompong and to make sure that with such revisions, we would be able to manage the possible scenarios that may occur,” Santos said.
The CDRRMC experienced issues when both telecommunications network providers operating in the city either stopped or have experienced network problems during the height of the storm.
“We encountered failure in our communication network particularly with our telcos in which we had to rely on our basic communication facilities like radios to be able to communicate with our personnel and conduct the necessary response to requests being asked of us during the height of the typhoon. We will have to study this particular area so that we could be more effective in future scenarios that may come,” Santos explained.
Another area the local DRRM is looking at is its manpower capability after undergoing shifting of personnel during and right after the typhoon until other responders coming from Nueva Ecija, Olongapo, and Pampanga augmented the manpower requirements of the DRRM aside from three other communication groups who assisted in the evacuation procedures of the city.
At present, the DRRM is still conducting its search, rescue and retrieval operations for two remaining missing individuals who were affected by Ompong while the areas affected in the city were Camp 7, Camp 8, Santo Tomas-Balacbac area, and BGH barangays.
Part of the actions to be done by the DRRM is a re-assessment by the city and Mines and Geosciences Bureau-Cordillera of the geo hazard map to determine the present status of the areas and other areas which have been or have high possibility of being affected by soil erosion and landslides in the future.