UNICEF East Asia and Pacific: Typhoon Hagupit: disaster risk reduction in Quezon CityUNICEF East Asia and Pacific: Typhoon Hagupit: disaster risk reduction in Quezon City



















































































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Tuesday, December 9, 2014








Typhoon Hagupit: disaster risk reduction in Quezon City



Posted by



Andy Brown








Elna Cirilo with Nicole and Cyrus at the evacuation centre
© UNICEF Philippines/2014/Andy Brown

Typhoon Hagupit, known locally as Ruby, passed south of Manila overnight on Monday 8 December. The eye of the storm missed the city but there was plenty of rain and wind surrounding the typhoon, carrying with it flood risks, in particular for slum communities living on flood plains near the river.

In Barangay Bagong Silangan, Quezon City (part of Metro Manila), an evacuation centre was set up in a covered court on the hillside above a flood plain. By 4pm it was already starting to fill up with women and children who arrived early with a few possessions to claiming a space on the mats in the centre of the court. Barangay staff were preparing food for evacuees and the Health Department had set up a small clinic to do medical check-ups.

Elna Cirilo, 31, had just arrived with her two children Nicole, 6, and Cyrus, 5. She was eight months pregnant with her third child. “We came here to get away from danger and to be secure,” she said. “My husband stayed behind to guard the house, but if the flood waters rise he’ll come and join us here.”

Elna and her husband grow and sell vegetables for a living, earning around 100 pesos a day ($2.25 USD). They don’t pay rent on their slum home, but they still struggle to get by and sometimes can’t afford to send their children to school. “Our house has already flooded three times before,” Elna said. “I’m very worried but there’s nothing I can do.”

Nicole was too shy to talk to visitors but Cyrus shared his views on the situation. “I’m doing OK,” he said. “I’m afraid of the storm but I’m happy that my friends are here and we’ll have something to eat.”

Just after 5pm, a barangay worker updated information on a whiteboard to show that there were 77 families and 370 individuals in the evacuation centre. Outside, it was getting dark and the rain was increasingly heavy. People walked down the road under umbrellas, carrying their valuables and heading for the evacuation centre.

Disaster risk reduction



Aldrin Cuna (right) in the typhoon control centre at Quezon City Hall
© UNICEF Philippines/2014/Andy Brown

That Elna and her family were safe and secure in advance of the storm’s arrival was largely a testament to the disaster risk reduction and preparedness plans of Quezon City Government. Having learned the lessons of Typhoon Haiyan last year, the preparations, evacuation and humanitarian response for this typhoon have been exemplary across the Philippines.

Earlier in the day, Quezon City Administrator Aldrin Cuna was in the control room with colleagues from each government department. Around City Hall, emergency workers were catching a few hours sleep on mats, chairs and even in stairwells. “We’ve been waiting for Ruby to arrive tonight,” Aldrin said with a smile. “We deployed most of our boats and vehicles to flood prone areas on Saturday but we have a few left here and emergency staff on standby to go out wherever needed.”

Aldrin explained what the City Government was doing for at-risk communities, including setting up evacuation centres for people living in flood-prone areas near the river. “These are mainly slum districts,” he said. “The barangay councils are already going round asking people to move to the evacuation centres. Sometimes people don’t want to leave their homes and possessions. They’re afraid of looting, or that they may not be able to return. But their lives are more valuable.”

Quezon City Government has been working with UNICEF on child-friendly cities and disaster risk reduction, including a twinning programme with other local governments in the Philippines. Since Typhoon Haiyan, Quezon has been mentoring three municipalities in the Tacloban area. “We’re encouraging them to take natural hazards and vulnerabilities into consideration in urban planning and reconstruction, and to consider alternative livelihoods for relocated families,” Aldrin explained.

The worst is over



Dr Paulino gives Elna and her children a medical check-up at the evacuation centre
© UNICEF Philippines/2014/Andy Brown

In the event, the storm passed by Quezon City with minimal damage. There was some overnight flooding in houses near the river but by mid-afternoon most families had left the evacuation centre, and the rest were packing up their belongings and getting ready to go home. Compared to the night before, there was a visible sense of relief on people’s faces.

The health centre doctor assigned to the barangay, Joselito Paulino, was pleased with how things had gone. “We’ve been here all night,” he said. “We fed people, did check-ups and gave out medication. I saw 98 patients during the storm. Most of them had acute respiratory tract infections. Some of these were existing conditions but the stormy weather made them worse. We’ll follow with them again in three days.”

Elna and her children were tired but happy to be going home. “It was OK spending the night here but it was hot and crowded and I couldn’t sleep well,” Elna said. “I spoke to my husband this morning and he said the water rose to knee height in the middle of the night. But it’s already gone back down so it’s safe for us to return.”

Cyrus and Nicole were also looking forward to going home and seeing their father. “I want to read a book when we get back,” Cyrus said. “I don’t mind which one, any book will do.”

The author
Andy Brown is Regional Communication Specialist at UNICEF East Asia and Pacific

Read more

Photos: Families take shelter from Typhoon Hagupit
Blog: Relief and celebrations as the storm passes














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Labels:
children,
evacuation centre,
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Philippines,
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