After every powerful typhoon, this has become a tired refrain: the country needs decent, permanent evacuation centers. The need is once again evident in the areas battered by Super Typhoon Odette, where an outbreak of gastroenteritis has been reported in hard-hit Dinagat and Siargao islands.
With the country getting an average of 20 tropical cyclones every year apart from periodic earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, landslides and torrential floods, evacuation centers will be in constant use.
Yet across the country, public schools and community multipurpose halls continue to serve as evacuation centers. This wouldn’t be too bad if the temporary shelters have sufficient facilities to safely accommodate large numbers of evacuees, but this is rarely the case. There is always a lack of potable water and sanitation facilities as well as modular dividers to provide some privacy for each family.
Before the pandemic, Department of Education officials had complained about class disruptions due to the prolonged use of public schools as evacuation centers. With in-person classes canceled since the COVID lockdowns last year, the push for permanent evacuation centers was weakened by the availability of empty and unused school buildings.
Even before COVID, concerns were often raised about the health risks posed by crowded evacuation centers with poor sanitation facilities. Infants and the elderly have been the most at risk from the spread of diseases. COVID and the need for physical distancing heightened the need for more spacious evacuation centers.
The need is again highlighted by reports that gastroenteritis and diarrhea are spreading in areas hit by Odette, with at least 80 cases recorded in Dinagat and 54 in Siargao as of last Monday, with more cases being verified in Cebu. Odette affected an estimated 4.6 million people, severely disrupted power and water services and damaged 141 health facilities, raising the risk of infections.
Evacuation centers can reduce that risk and ease the suffering of people who have lost their belongings, homes, livelihoods and, for some, their loved ones in a disaster. Even as the country continues to battle COVID, it’s time to get serious in addressing the constant need for decent evacuation centers.