MEDINA, Misamis Oriental–The town government here inaugurated an evacuation center as part of the Disaster Preparedness and Response project of the United States Agency for International Development’s Office of US Foreign Disaster Assistance (USAID/OFDA) in partnership with the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP). It was done in time for the National Disaster Consciousness Month.
The evacuation center, located at Barangay Mananum Bag-o, was built according to disaster management standards, with engineering design set by their Municipal Engineering Office and Municipal Zoning Office. The facility is properly elevated to ensure that the facility stays flood-free in the event of a calamity such as typhoons and flooding. The location surrounding the evacuation center is also conducive for alternate shelter, with its proximity to the barangay park which offers wide and plain terrain for emergency camping.
Medina is one of the disaster-prone municipalities in Misamis Oriental, with natural hazards such as floods, landslides, and storm surge.
Since March 2013, Medina has been part of the Disaster Preparedness and Response project of the USAID/OFDA and WFP, implementing projects such as the establishment of a municipal disaster risk management operation center, disaster response equipment, camp coordination, 3D hazard mapping, information and education materials, and contingency planning. The evacuation center is part of the new six-month project phase entitled “Strengthening Self-Reliance in Response Mechanisms against Flood and Landslide through the Establishment of Evacuation Center in the Municipality of Medina, Misamis Oriental,” funded by USAID with P1,770,000 and with local government counterpart funding of P450,000.
“We are very appreciative of the unwavering commitment and partnership of USAID/OFDA and WFP in implementing disaster preparedness projects in our municipality,” said Mayor Ken Niño Uyguangco. “The projects, with the joint efforts of all the stakeholders, are slowly but surely building a critical mass of knowledgeable and skilled human resource, as well as prepared and responsive institutions and communities.”
Aside from Medina, USAID/OFDA and WFP are also helping build capacities against the impacts of disasters in Manticao and the provincial government of Misamis Oriental.
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