Households from danger zones should be relocated: Del Rosario

MANILA – Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development (DHSUD) Sec. Eduardo del Rosario recommended the resettlement of families residing in danger zones and other flood-prone areas to reduce casualties during calamities.

During a situation briefing on Sunday, del Rosario said there are three categories to identify areas prone to flooding: highly susceptible, moderate, and less susceptible.

According to del Rosario, people residing in highly susceptible flood-prone areas need to be relocated to safer zones to minimize disaster-related incidents.

Citing the massive flooding in Cagayan Valley, del Rosario said the government should push resettlement programs for families living in the so-called “high-risk zones.”

“We will coordinate directly with the local government units (LGUs) to identify highly susceptible areas prone to flooding so that we can enforce resettlement of our people to safer ground to prevent casualties in the future,” del Rosario added.

Meanwhile, del Rosario said the DHSUD will provide financial assistance to typhoon-hit families in coordination with the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD).

Del Rosario said residents with severely destroyed houses will receive cash amounting to PHP10,000 from the housing department while residents with partially damaged houses will receive PHP5,000.

He said the cash aid will be handed over to the affected households once the assessment of properties and other structures are completed.

“We will be creating an inter-agency team to conduct an assessment to be led by the Office of the Civil Defense and includes the DHSUD, NHA [National Housing Authority) and DSWD—so that we can determine who will be granted financial assistance,” del Rosario said.