Joint disaster readiness info blitz kicks off in Cebu

BY: JUJU MANUBAG-EMPUERTO

CEBU CITY, March 31 (PIA) --- The Central Visayas leg of the two-day disaster information campaign dubbed "Iba na ang Panahon! Science for Safer Communities" kicked off today at the Crown Regency Residences in Guadalupe, Cebu City.

The campaign is conducted by the Department of Science and Technology (DOST), in partnership with the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) and the Office of Civil Defense (OCD). 

The two-day event will gather provincial governors, city/municipal mayors and disaster risk reduction managers in Central Visayas to arm them with the latest science-based information, tools, and technologies.

The campaign is designed to help the participants understand the possible impact of hazards in their respective communities which is crucial in their formulation of local disaster preparedness and risk communication plans.

The collaborative project started this March to help arm local governments prepare for potential hazards in the future.
 

DOST Secretary Mario G. Montejo explained that Iba na ang Panahon!  “embraces the change in our seasonal climate and weather patterns and the severity of the impact of weather-related natural hazards in the country.”

Montejo added that the campaign highlights the availability of new tools such as latest high resolution maps and flood modeling solutions that allow scientists to bring better and faster forecast warnings down to communities.

“Early warning leads to early action,” said Montejo. “If our local leaders are able to act early, then they will be able to minimize loss and lead their communities into early recovery.” 

Participants in table top exercises will be introduced to hazard maps of their very own localities, identifying hazards such as fault lines, previous flood and storm surge episode and other calamities that affected and may still affect in the future certain parts of their communities.

The participants are expected after the workshop to project possible impacts of certain hazards of their communities and formulate plans to prevent or minimize disasters after having been introduced to tools and technologies such as 3D maps, applications and others.
(rmn/JSME/PIA-Cebu/DOST7)