SURVIVORS of the 2013 Super Typhoon Yolanda in Tacloban City and nearby towns are rushing to the worst affected areas in Southern Leyte to bring emergency relief following the onslaught of Super Typhoon Odette on December 16, 2021.
“So much work to do and help to give in Southern Leyte,” said Gorg Ryan Requiez, a Yolanda survivor in Palo town who worked with his fellow students and youth groups for a rapid relief response in Libagon.
After seeing the extent of devastation in the province, Requiez hoped that more assistance would arrive in the coming days, such as financial aid and construction supplies.
“Planning and logistics were a challenge but nothing is insurmountable when people are working towards a common goal, in this case, to help others,” said the members of Angels on Wheels, a group of Eastern Visayas-based car enthusiasts.
The group brought food packs, sacks of rice, gallons of drinking water, various medicines, clothes, lighting solutions, construction materials and others to San Ricardo, Maasin City, and Limasawa Island.
“We are thankful for all the individuals and companies who pooled their resources together to gather as much goods as soon as possible. Indeed, a time of intense difficulty could bring the best out of humankind,” the group said.
“With the destruction left by Odette, your Angels on Wheels was again in awe of the willingness of people to help others, sometimes even before themselves. This, we believe, is the spirit of Christmas,” Angels on Wheels added.
Leyte-based relief group Sprouts PH, together with Rotaract club of Tacloban and other organizations, also launched an emergency response to the towns of Mahaplag, Sogod, Libagon, Tomas Oppus, Malitbog, Padre Burgos, Macrohon and Maasin.
“Most of the town areas have access to water but not potable. Coastal areas are 90 percent totally damaged. The whole province is in dire need of solar lamps, panels and flashlights,” said Janelle Carlos of Sprouts PH as they aimed for another round of relief works in the affected towns.
“Thank you very much to all who responded to the call to help the people of Southern Leyte and beyond. We saw many Taclobanons (local groups and chapter organizations) and others extending help to the victims of Typhoon Odette. Nakaka-proud! Indeed, kita naman (our turn to help)!” wrote Tacloban Vice Mayor Jerry Yaokasin.
“May we continue to reach out to them in these trying times. They need all the help we can give. We know fully well. We've been there before,” Yaokasin added.
On December 22, Tacloban Mayor Alfred Romualdez led the relief efforts to San Juan as the city also received “overwhelming love and help” from Southern Leyte after the Super Typhoon Yolanda.
Other private groups, like the BGT Cares Foundation of Leyte businessman Bernie Tacoy, also launched their own relief activities in different parts of Southern Leyte and Leyte provinces.
Different electric cooperatives in Eastern Visayas have sent linemen through the “Task Force Kapatid 157” to help restore the power supply in devastated towns.
Allan Laniba, president of National Association of General Managers of Electric Cooperatives (Nagmec) also went to Southern Leyte to personally assess the situation.
Meanwhile, the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) in the region continued the production of its family food pack (FPPs) as part of its relief efforts.
“DSWD staff from various programs, its Quick Response Team (QRT), as well as volunteers work in shifting schedules to produce FFPs to be able to respond to requests from disaster-affected Local Government Units (LGUs),” it said.
As of December 20, DSWD has a stockpile of 12,556 FFPs stored in various strategic locations across Eastern Visayas.
According to DSWD, it has released 18,208 FFPs to 12 LGUs.
This number includes 1,000 FFPs for Dulag, 2,500 for Tacloban City, 2,108 for Silago, 2,100 for Hinundayan, 3,100 for Hinunangan, 1,000 for Saint Bernard, 2,400 for Sogod, 1,000 for Maasin City, 1,000 for Liloan, 1,000 for Limasawa, 500 for Macrohon and 500 for San Ricardo.
Each FFP, which is sufficient for a family of five for two to three days, contains six kilos of rice, four cans of corned beef, four cans of tuna flakes, two cans of sardines, five sachets of coffee and five sachets of cereal drink.
“DSWD continues to remind the public that according to Republic Act 10121, the LGUs are the first responders to any disasters. The LGUs can request for additional relief items from the agency when needed,” DSWD said in a statement.
The agency also lauded the logistics support provided by the personnel of the Philippine Army, Philippine National Police, Philippine Navy, Philippine Coast Guard, and Philippine Air Force, among others. (SunStar Philippines)