Evacuees struggle to return to normal lives Philippine Daily Inquirer
November 08, 2009
SAN PABLO CITY, Philippines—Evacuees in Sta. Cruz town and parts of San Pedro town struggled to return to their normal lives after the loss of their homes, properties and sources of livelihood due to Tropical Storm “Ondoy.”
Valentin Guidote, deputy provincial coordinator of the Provincial Disaster Coordinating Council, said many evacuees do not want to stay idle.
Many of them went back to their homes even if these were still flooded while those who have places to stay in the submerged public market were trying every means so they could ply their trade even if they have to use bancas.
“Life has to go on among the evacuees,” said Guidote.
He said only about 10,000 evacuees are still living in evacuation centers throughout the province, a significant reduction from the more than 100,000 evacuees a day after Ondoy flooded several villages of the province.
Guidote said the evacuees who returned to their homes were given instructions to be vigilant during bad weather or rainy days to immediately go to safer places to avoid risks to their lives.
Celia Moreno, president of the Rotary Club San Pedro chapter, said that in their visits to some evacuation centers, people were idle simply because there was nothing to do or no job is being offered to them.
Local chapters of the organization and the Rotary Club International from Australia and other countries joined hands to provide the evacuees with the so-called “shelter boxes” or tents measuring around 2 meters by 3 meters with metal frames that could accommodate at least one family.
Around 15 shelter boxes, each costing around P32,000, have been supplied to evacuees in San Pedro town and distributed to various evacuation sites in Topswing, Cono and Sioland in Barangay Langayan; San Pedro Central School and Pacita Elementary School in the town proper; and another in Barangay Cuyab.
Records from the Department of Social Welfare and Development showed that there are around 4,600 evacuees now in these areas, said Moreno.
The Rotary also supplied around 80 shelter boxes in Cabuyao, Calamba and Sta. Cruz and Sta. Rosa City.
Rotarians simply asked the evacuees to take good care of their shelter boxes, added Moreno.
She said the organization planned to provide microfinancing and livelihood opportunities in agriculture, soap making and food processing or would help the evacuees take vocational courses from the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority. Romulo Ponte, Inquirer Southern Luzon
