IN the wake of a wrathful super typhoon Odette, a House leader reiterated the need to have a Department of Disaster Resilience (DDR).

The measure seeking to create the DDR was already passed in the House of Representatives for the final reading and still in the Senate for deliberation.

House Committee on Disaster Resilience chair Leyte Rep. Lucy Torres-Gomez stressed that a centralized government agency is needed so that disaster preparedness would be more comprehensive, responsive and customized based on technical and scientific analysis.

“This is just one of the reasons why I reiterate the need for a DDR. Because sometimes, a disaster is just too huge and too complex for LGUs to handle on their own. And yes, some LGUs are capable, but we just cannot leave something as critical as disaster resilience, preparedness, response and recovery to the whims of chance,” Torres-Gomez said.

The lady solon said destruction resulting from typhoon Odette is, once again, a bitter reminder that we still have a long way to go in strengthening our disaster resilience.

However, Torres-Gomez still lauded some local government units (LGUs) for significantly decreasing casualties due to substantial improvements in local evacuations.

“But we must not stop here. There are still more ‘low-lying fruit’ solutions that are yet to be achieved, in laying the foundation for swiffer local recovery and rehabilitation,” she noted.

After the heavy rainfall and strong winds, many places are still dealing with clearing debris from roads; protecting and restoring power lines and maintaining internet and phone communications.

This issues must be addressed by the DDR, she stressed, adding that any lack in these economic cornerstones deeply impact the availability of basic human needs; such as, water, food and fuel supplies, as well as access to basic services; such as, banking, emergency health care, grocery and drug stores.

In the aftermath of typhoon Odette, the House leader said there is a disparity in disaster preparation and response from one LGUs to another.

In Ormoc Cuty, Torres-Gomez said, the simplest solution to avoiding fallen power lines is to clear potentially damaging trees within a certain proximity.

She said the Ormoc City has invested in preparing ahead for typhoon Odette, and are now reaping the fruits of their disaster preparedness. Power and water supply have been restored, allowing the citizens in Ormoc to bounce back, recover and move on from the effects of Odette, almost immediately after the storm.

“ Conversely, other provinces that were poorly prepared now face the prospect of power outage for at least a month. This would definitely set back the local economy, compounding even further, the drag brought about by the pandemic,” she said.