OVER 2,000 persons are still unable to return to their damaged homes after the destructive quakes that hit Itbayat town in Batanes.
As of Wednesday noon, July 31, National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) spokesperson Mark Timbal said 805 families or 2,616 persons were staying in the tent city put up in the town plaza and Itbayat Public Market.
The NDRRMC said 2,963 people, or 911 families, were affected by the earthquakes while 185 houses were destroyed and 81 others were damaged.
Timbal said the victims have yet to undergo debriefing to help them cope with the trauma. The disaster claimed nine lives.
He also said they have yet to determine when the affected families will be allowed to return to their houses.
“Kung ang pagbabatayan ay makauwi sa bahay nila within the next two weeks malabo pa kasi may aftershocks pa at ‘yung nasirang husto ang bahay hindi na mababalikan yun kasi for condemnation na ‘yung ganun. We would have to process the rehabilitation as well as rebuilding and reconstruction of their houses and other damaged buildings,” he said.
(They will not likely be allowed to return home within the next two weeks because the aftershocks have continued. Those whose houses were destroyed would not be allowed to go back to their homes.)
“’Yung mga nasiraan ng bahay, ilalagay sa plano ng recovery and rehab kung paano ang proseso para maisagawa ang reconstruction activities na ito,” he added.
He said the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) were still assessing how reconstruction and rehabilitation of damaged infrastructure will be conducted.
He said part of the P40 million, which was promised by President Rodrigo Duterte when he visited the affected area area over the weekend, will be used for reconstruction and rehabilitation.
Timbal, however, assured that there is enough supply of relief goods for the affected population.
“So far wala pang sinasabi na nagkukulang na sila. Kasi noong dumating lindol nakapag-deploy agad ng relief stockpile nila ang local government unit at hindi pa nauubos ay nagpadala na ng relief support ang Batanes provincial government at hindi pa nauubos ang Batanes stockpile nakahanda na ang regional stockpile support at may national NDRRMC pa na nakaantabay,” he said.
Medical teams have been deployed to attend to patients. Timbal said they were prioritizing those who need emergency medical assistance.
“Noong mismong day one may medical team na pinadala ang DOH (Department of Health), a 14-man team, while the Cagayan Valley medical center sent eight personnel,” he said.
“Ang ating psychosocial support sabi ng DOH and DSWD (Department of Social Welfare and Development) naka-stand by na sila ready for deployment. Ang priority kasi natin ngayon pagprovide ng relief support,” he added.
Education officials, meanwhile, have yet to decide on when to resume classes in Itbayat.
Timbal noted that the two scools in Itbayat were both damaged and cannot be used by students until a structural integrity check by the DPWH.
Two shallow earthquakes shook Itbayat on Saturday, July 27.
The first, magnitude 5.4 with a depth of 12 kilometers, struck at 4:16 a.m. Saturday, July 27. The second, magnitude 5.9 and a depth of 7.0 kilometers, shook Batanes at 7:37 a.m. Saturday. (SunStar Philippines)