THE Office of Civil Defense (OCD) will extend shelter assistance to families badly affected by the Jan. 23 magnitude 5.8 earthquake in San Francisco, Southern Leyte province.
The local government unit has been tasked with classifying all damaged houses to find out who will be prioritized in the provision of shelter aid.
“We want them to classify which of these damaged houses really need materials to repair,” OCD Eastern Visayas Regional Director Lord Byron Torrecarion said Thursday.
In a meeting with Southern Leyte mayors, Torrecarion said it was agreed that LGUs would be assisted by personnel from the Department of Public Works and Highways Southern Leyte Second District Engineering Office in assessing affected houses.
Based on reports received by OCD from affected local government units, at least seven houses were destroyed while 253 damaged, of which over 190 are in San Francisco town.
“We could give fiber cement and roofing materials. The allocation is 10 fiberboard and roofing materials per household,” Torrecarion added.
The official also asked the San Francisco LGU to submit a proposal for the repair of their water system damaged by the earthquake.
Mayor Benedicta Tiaozon earlier said the damage has adversely affected their source of potable water.
As an immediate response to this problem, the OCD will be sending bottled drinking water to the municipality.
Aside from shelter and potable water, teachers also asked for psychosocial intervention for their students traumatized by the strong quake. (PNA)
