Art 1.

Resiliency Projects (PDRRMO

related projects) – RESILIENCY
INITIATIVES
Typhoons frequent Northern Samar every year, may it be as weak as the usual passing typhoons or
as strong as Typhoon Tisoy from 2019 or Ambo from 2020 which devastated the province and left
casualties in some municipalities. The threat of storm surge and flooding is even more emphasized by
the fact that the province is surrounded by water on every border, on the north by the San Bernardino
Strait, the Pacific Ocean on the east, the Samar Sea on the west, Samar on the southwest, and Eastern
Samar on the southeast.

In addition, the province is primarily made up of low, steep hills and lowland plains. It also has small,
fragmented sections along the shores, and alluvial plains and valleys commonly accompany its rivers.
Since coastal regions are located in lowlands, the entire coastal area of Northern Samar is estimated to
be around 24,900 hectares, or 249 km shoreline multiplied by 1 km landward distance from shoreline,
using the technical definition of coastal area (which is 1 km from the seashore) (PPDO, 2018); this makes
coastal barangays within the province all the more vulnerable when typhoons persist.

The need for evacuation centers and other disaster resilient buildings is stressed with every disaster
that strikes the province and the Provincial Government of Northern Samar has a response to this. As a
part of the 8-point development agenda of the Provincial Government of Northern Samar under the
leadership of Governor Edwin Ongchuan, dubbed as “Continued PROGRESS” or “Padayon nga
KAUSWAGAN”, various resiliency initiatives were launched during the onset of the administration. These
resiliency initiatives manifest through the creation of evacuation centers in key municipalities with high-
risk coastal areas.

One of these resiliency initiatives funded by the provincial government is the construction of an
evacuation center in the municipality of Lapinig. The number of evacuation facilities compared to the
number of evacuees is imbalanced, a problem which Lapinig MDRRMO has faced for previous years. The
town’s old evacuation facility could only house a hundred individuals or approximately 20 families, a
number that will double or triple with the creation of the new evacuation center. More families can now
evacuate in a much safer location in times of crisis.
 Another resiliency initiative of the administration is the construction of a two-storey evacuation
center in the town of Mapanas. Located just along the highway, the evacuation center can house
approximately 50 families. It also has its own generator set that will service the evacuees when there is
no electricity. According to the MDRRM Officer of Mapanas, Mr. Joe Gajutos, this evacuation center is a
“dream come true” to their municipality, as one of their office’s problem is a secure location to safely
evacuate residents during calamities. Because of the lack in evacuation centers, schools, their
gymnasium, and even the town’s own church were used as a make-shift evacuation center for the
residents. As the town’s evacuation center come to a completion, Mapanas MDRRMO can now readily
deliver their services to their constituents during times of need.

Northern Samar will always be frequented by typhoons and other calamities, that is a fact and it will
never change. What the province can change however, is the level of preparedness and resiliency of
each and every town in Northern Samar; and with the united action of the people, agencies, officials,
and the provincial government, the vision for a resilient Northern Samar and Nortehanons is never
impossible.