Loon, Bohol – ShelterBox International through the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) and the municipal local government unit has installed yesterday 64 ShelterBox tents for earthquake victims staying at the evacuation center in Loon South Central School.
DSWD Secretary Corazon Juliano-Soliman said that families with vulnerable members like the elderly, children, pregnant and lactating women, and persons with disabilities are prioritized to occupy the tents.
Secretary Soliman added that many people are still afraid to return to their homes because of aftershocks. They opt to stay in the evacuation center or set-up makeshift tents near their homes.
“The evacuees need immediate shelter support to reduce their vulnerability against crimes or the impact of aftershocks,” she said.
ShelterBox International provides emergency and lifesaving supplies for affected families by disasters.
Tim Vite, ShelterBox Response Team member said, that their goal is to “deliver the essentials a family needs to survive in the immediate aftermath of a disaster.”
He explained that each large, green ShelterBox tent comes with a blanket, groundsheets, water storage and purification equipment, cooking utensils, mosquito nets, solar lamps, a basic carpentry tool kit, and a children’s activity pack. The tent is designed to withstand extreme weather conditions.
“The tent becomes the property of the family. They will be issued a certificate of ownership from ShelterBox ResponseTeam,” Vite further added.
DSWD Assistant Secretary Camilo Gudmalin today announced that 21 ShelterBox tents were already set up in Tubigon, another quake-hit town in the province.
He said that additional 147 tents were airlifted yesterday by a C-130 of the Philippine Airforce, and additional 289 tents will be transported soon. All these tents, according to Asec. Gudmalin, will immediately be set up in different areas hardest hit by the quake.
Meanwhile, Nicasia Libradilla, 56 years old, from Barangay Motoson expressed her appreciation to the ShelterBox Response Team for providing her family with a tent.
“Dahil sa magandang tent na binigay sa amin, maiibsan kahit papaano ang hirap na dinadanas ng aking baldadong (The tent will be useful to us especially to my ailing mother)),” Nicasia said.
Libradilla could not believe that she experienced such a tragedy in her lifetime. As soon as she felt the strong tremors, she took her mother and rushed her outside their house.
The Libradilla family also continues to receive relief food packs from the DSWD and LGU.
Secretary Soliman assured Boholanos of the government’s continued support saying that the government “has enough food and non-food relief assistance for all the affected families.”
The DSWD team intensifies its repacking operations to increase their delivery to 30,000 food packs a day for at least another week. ###
