By Sarwell Meniano | Philippine News Agency
Cities in Eastern Visayas ravaged by Super Typhoon Yolanda eight years ago have rushed to extend assistance to the victims of Typhoon Odette in Southern Leyte and Mindanao.
On Wednesday, Tacloban Mayor Alfred Romualdez delivered relief items to the town of San Juan, Southern Leyte six days after the typhoon.
“Aside from the 300 sacks of rice, water, and medicines we also brought the medical service of the city health office through a medical mission for the citizens of San Juan,” the mayor said in a statement.
Tacloban is considered as ground zero of the killer typhoon in 2013.
In Ormoc City, Mayor Richard Gomez said on Wednesday the local government has deployed to Southern Leyte five health staff, three sanitation personnel, and two drivers to do public health services such as integrated management of childhood illness, water sanitation and hygiene, and vector control.
“We are bringing an initial 30 out of 90 gallons of drinking water donated by the different water refilling stations in Ormoc City initiated by the sanitation section of Ormoc City health department,” Gomez added.
On the same day, a team from the city government of Borongan in Eastern Samar arrived in General Luna, Surigao del Norte to deliver relief aid.
Delivered were 2,000 corrugated sheets, 25 tarp rolls, 100 slim jugs of purified water, 20 boxes of umbrella nails, 2,000 loaves of bread, and 200 sacks of rice.
“This is our way to reach out to the victims of the Super Typhoon Odette. Like Siargao and most of the severely affected places in the Visayas and Mindanao, we’ve been hit by strong typhoons before. We, the people of Borongan, know how hard it is to recover so we are doing our part,” said Mayor Jose Ivan Agda, in a statement.
On December 17, Borongan was one of the first responders who sent relief aid to Maasin City, Southern Leyte, and Inopacan, Leyte.
They provided 145 sacks of rice to Maasin, and five sacks to a village in Inopacan, Leyte.
Typhoon Odette crossed Southern Leyte on December 16, killing at least 24 of its residents, rendering six others missing, and injuring 35 people. Thousands of houses were damaged.
A week after the typhoon roared out of the country, the entire province is still suffering from power shutdown and unstable mobile phone signals. (PNA)-rir
