LGUs urged to build stronger homes in typhoon-hit areas

MANILA, Philippines - Now that the government has started providing funds for the rehabilitation of homes destroyed by Super Typhoon Yolanda, Senator Loren Legarda said it is important that the new structures are stronger and more resilient to disasters.

Legarda, chairman of the Senate committee on climate change, said that building back stronger structures could entail a higher cost for the residents now but in the end, this would cost them less when disaster strikes.

She said the World Bank estimates that for every dollar invested in disaster reduction measures, at least seven dollars in losses from natural hazards are saved.

Recently, Interior and Local Government Secretary Manuel Roxas II announced that the national government has allocated P1.88 billion for Western Visayas and P1.82 billion for Eastern Visayas as part of the rehabilitation of the two regions hit hard by Yolanda last year.

Legarda reminded the local government units to ensure that the houses are constructed in safer areas and to prohibit development in disaster prone areas.

“Build in safe areas and follow building codes. LGUs must understand and make use of the geohazard maps in order to rebuild resilient structures and communities,” Legarda said.

“We must be cautious not to restore the risk and vulnerabilities that existed before. The structural integrity of buildings and other structures should not be compromised. For instance, coastal structures, including roads and bridges, should be built and designed considering a two-meter sea-level rise due to climate change,” she added.

Legarda also said that while it may be hard to prevent floods especially in coastal communities, buildings can be built using materials and design that would reduce the impact of flooding, such that it would not affect structural integrity and the effort to dry out and clean the building afterwards will be minimized.