July is National Disaster Consciousness Month
LINGAYEN–The Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (PDRRMC) is set to undertake various activities that will highlight the importance of disaster risk reduction and management when the observance of the National Disaster Consciousness Month (NDCM) kicks off on July 9 at the Capitol Plaza or at the Narciso Ramos Sports and Civic Center here in case of inclement weather.
Ret. Col Fernando De Guzman, officer-in-charge executive officer of PDRRMC, said the activities will include the hanging of NDCM streamers in strategic areas within the Capitol Complex, conduct of Tsunami Drill in Barangay Tobuan, Labrador next month, continuous implementation of the massive clean-up and dredging operations of Pangasinan’s rivers and tributaries, and public information drive and seminar on San Roque Dam’s Emergency Action Plan and Flood Forecasting and Warning System on the three major river systems in Pangasinan.
Acting Vice-Governor Jose Ferdinand Calimlim, already called all PDRRMC member agencies and offices to a coordinating conference to update the council on their operational readiness and capabilities in cases of disasters on June 26 at the PDRRMC conference room, Narciso Ramos Sports and Civic Center here.
Calimlim recalled that the occurrences of calamities in the past years left the province of Pangasinan with numerous casualties and billions in damages to infrastructure and agricultural products.
Towards this end, De Guzman said the PDRRMC has formulated its Disaster Risk Reduction and Management System (DRRMS) with great emphasis on DRRMS Operational Preparedness.
At the onset of the rainy season, the PDRRMC has started acquiring additional equipment that can be used during calamities or disasters.
De Guzman said the equipment amounting to some P400,000 (funded by the Department of Interior and Local Government) include two portable generator sets, 10 portable searchlights, four sets of megaphones, two machetes, two chainsaws, eight units of handheld radios, 3 portable stretchers, 2 waterproof tents, 5 shovels, 40 sets of safety vests in addition to the existing 30 sets and 3 units of Pick mattocks.
Recently, the province acquired an automated weather station (AWS), a modern weather tracking device that measure weather-related factors.
The AWS is capable of measuring rainfall, wind speed, air pressure, wind direction, relative humidity, air temperature and other weather parameters that will help the Philippine Atmospheric Geophysical Administration System in arriving at an accurate weather forecast.
The Office of the Civil Defense is also providing rubber boats for the province and some municipalities of Pangasinan. (PIO/ADV)
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