Ormoc

CASE: THE TRAGEDY

Statement of the Problem

1. How vulnerable was the area to natural calamities?

2. What are the socio-economic characteristics of the household communities in Ormoc, Leyte?

3. Should government push and implement long-term coping strategies for the affected communities than short-term ones?

4. What measures did the local government and its people do to cope with the tragic incident?

Objectives

1. To determine the level of vulnerability of the people in Ormoc, Leyte towards natural calamities.

2. To determine the level of preparedness of the households and the communities

3. To determine if the government did enough to help the people affected by the calamity

4. To determine the socio-economic characteristics of the household communities in Ormoc, Leyte

Areas of Consideration

1. The location of Ormoc City is very precarious. It sits on the path of two converging rivers.

2. Urban zoning. Isla verde is a delta of alluvial deposit in the Anilao River and within Ormoc City. It is an evident high-risk area. Nonetheless, it was allowed to be heavily populated by low-income families.

3. Poor engineering. Various man-made structures in the city were poorly constructed. The water channels of the Anilao and Malbasag rivers within the city and under bridges were constricted with concrete flood walls and leeves that were built into the rivers rather than to the banks. This facilitated clogging by debris.

Alternative Courses of Action

Action No. 1

The local government is like the head of the family. Help the affected people reach evacuation sites safely is their number one priority. Though limited transportation, unprepared government officials and common sense of the affected individuals may affect the rescue process, the most important thing is that they can rescue as many people as they can. Improvising equipment for the local officials is also very much needed.

Action No. 2

Information dissemination ahead of time is the most...