By Rene Acosta - February 14, 2017
THE government said on Tuesday it
has completely restored power in Surigao del Norte while it was also working to
bring back water in the affected areas, three days after the powerful
earthquake shook the province and left it in shambles.
The National Disaster Risk Reduction
and Management Council (NDRRMC) said the relief efforts were continuing for the
residents of the province, as most of them remained camped out of their
dwellings, which was exacerbated by fear of continuing aftershocks.
“Power supply has been restored in
all of the municipalities hit by the earthquake, including in Surigao City,
although there was a brief power interruption by dawn today due to the powerful
aftershock,” NDRRMC Spokesman Mina Marasigan said.
“For the supply of water, it has
also been restored in most of the municipalities affected. Repair is only
ongoing in the municipalities of Mainit and San Francisco,” Marasigan said
during a news briefing on Tuesday.
Marasigan said at least 1,790 houses
and other infrastructure—including roads, bridges, public hospitals, schools
and even private buildings—have been damaged from Saturday’s temblor, which
killed eight people and injured at least 202 others.
Classes and even work in offices,
especially in Surigao City, remained temporarily suspended as structural
engineers continue to assess the soundness of affected buildings.
“We are not allowing people to
return yet to their buildings, because we are still awaiting the results of our
engineers’ assessments,” Marasigan said. “Even for high-rise buildings, we have
issued a call for temporary closure until we have declarations that those
establishments are safe because we continue to have aftershocks.”
Initially, the quake caused damage
amounting to at least P112.45 million worth of infrastructure, but Marasigan
said they were expecting the amount would still increase as assessments by the
local government, the regional disaster body and engineers were continuing.
Included in the damaged
infrastructure were at least 13 school buildings.
Marasigan said the assessments were
going hand in hand with the ongoing relief operations for the affected
residents, most of whom choose to remain in tents outside their houses damaged
by the earthquake.
Others opted to remain outside their
dwellings, as they are fearful of the aftershocks that could collapse their
houses.
“For now, part of our focus is to
sustain our services there, since they continue to experience aftershocks.
Hopefully, in the coming days, we could already start early recovery and,
eventually, for the rehabilitation and recovery efforts,” Marasigan said.
Meanwhile, the Department of Trade
and Industry in Surigao is assuring supply conditions in earthquake-hit Surigao
is normal, and prime and basic commodities were rolled out in the area on
Tuesday.
In a follow-up message on Monday,
Trade Secretary Ramon M. Lopez said the supply of goods in Surigao remains
under normal conditions, and prices are seen to remain stable, as the
earthquake has neither effected logistical connectivity or damaged supply
sources in the city.
“The flow of goods is not affectred,
because they pass through port and land from Butuan and Davao. The airport has
been affected, and may take a month to rehabilitate,” Lopez said in a message
to reporters.
Initial estimates of damage caused
by the 6.7-magnitude earthquake total around P70 million.
Lopez said retail establishments,
such as Parkway Mall, Absolute Essential Traders and TT & Co. stores, save
for the Gaisano Mall, were not substantially affected.
The trade department also reminded
of the freeze on commodity prices now in effect, warning retailers that prices
should not move in the next 60 days.
Lopez said A Diskwento Caravan
(Discount Caravan) will be rolled out today in the affected area to sell basic
goods and prime commodities at a fraction of the standard cost. Discount rates
range from 10 percent to 70 percent lower than the suggested retail price.
The Diskwento Caravan project has
been done in partnership with big manufacturer and/or distributors since 2009,
for necessities to be made more accessible to lower-income segments.
With Catherine N. Pillas
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