NEGROS OCCIDENTAL, Philippines – In Sipalay, critical facilities such as health facilities and schools were built in flood-prone areas. The local government is aware of this, yet these facilities have not been relocated even after being devastated during past disasters.
Days before Odette hit, city officials said all the necessary preparations were made, save for mandatory evacuation. For them, it was the “lack” of information dissemination on the part of village officials and the reluctance of the residents to evacuate and listen to warnings that cost lives. At Sipalay City National High School , the designated evacuation center in Barangay V in the city proper, floodwaters reached the ground floor of the school, prompting evacuees to seek refuge on the second floor of the building.
Since Odette, village officials have been advised to not use the evacuation centers located within their barangays, especially for expected major disasters. Instead, they were told to evacuate to the facility in Gil Montilla in central Sipalay which would be safer, according to disaster officials. Gil Montilla is where the city’s new government center was built.
By the end of 2022, Sipalay had already used up around three-fourths of its disaster funds. The mayor said the main expenditure that year was the response to the aftermath of Odette, on top of expenses related to the pandemic. Then, Severe Tropical Storm Paeng hit the city in late 2022. Sipalay officials told Rappler the city aims to relocate a few of the schools being used as evacuation centers because of the risks. But Lim said that the city is facing land ownership issues in the process.
For other flood-prone schools, the information officer said the city is still looking for new sites for their relocation. The operations center director of the Philippine Disaster Resilience Foundation , an organization that serves as coordinator for DRRM activities for the private sector, said there are many considerations in relocating evacuation centers – relocation costs are one thing, finding new locations is another.
“Relocation is indeed a complex process, hence, moving forward, it is important for the government to get things right from the start by conducting a thorough risk assessment in selecting sites for new facilities, including working with experts to incorporate resilient design features,” Capili said.
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