US supports disaster risk reduction in Metro Manila

By Michael T. Esmino

Managing Editor

THE UNITED States government is stepping up its efforts to help the Philippines in disaster preparedness.

On July 17, the US Embassy in the Philippines announced that the US government will partner with the Catholic Relief Services (CRS) to build community resilience to disasters in Metro Manila.

On July 14, the US, through the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), provided an additional P107.5 million (US $2.5 million) to CRS for disaster risk reduction (DRR) in the Philippines. The support will provide training and support to communities in 15 high-risk, flood-prone barangays in Rizal and the National Capital Region, directly benefiting an estimated 43,200 people. Through the program, CRS will provide training to barangay officials and community members on areas including risk assessment and mapping, participatory disaster risk reduction and management, and contingency planning. The program will also build community resilience by undertaking preparedness and mitigation projects, such as waterway and community clean-up campaigns and improvements to evacuation centers and early warning systems, helping to lessen the impact of future flood events.

The US through USAID's Office of U.S. Foreign Disaster Assistance has provided nearly P868.6 million (US $20.2 million) for DRR programs in the Philippines since 2012. US-supported DRR programs in the Philippines seek to build the capacity of communities, Philippine Government agencies, and local non-governmental organizations to prepare for and respond to the range of disasters that frequently impact the country. Other US-supported DRR programs in the Philippines include funding to assist the Philippine Government to pre-position logistics equipment in Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao that can be used during emergencies; support to increase the technical and physical capacity of national and local government units in eight disaster-prone provinces across the country; and support for DRR in areas affected by the 2012 Typhoon Bopha, among other activities.

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