The new disaster response equipment donated by a faith-based humanitarian service organization will boost the capability of this town to respond to frequent road crashes and flooding.

The equipment will enable the local government to set up an operation center of the Municipal Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (MDRRMO) within the national road, closer to accident-prone areas, Mayor Jade Kie Tiu said during the turnover at the local government’s gymnasium Tuesday.

“We are prone to accidents and these happen on the national road outside the town center. It will take 30 minutes for our responders to get there. This new equipment will help realize our plan,” he said.

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints Humanitarian Services picked Sta. Rita town as recipient of the PHP1.5 million worth of equipment considering the locality’s vulnerability to natural disasters.

The equipment include a rescue boat for flooding, extrication kit, generator set, static rope, dynamic rope, double pulley, tandem pulley, minding pulley, carabiners, brake bar rack, chest ascender, hand ascender, anchor plate, flat rope and traverse basket.

“This is our way of showing our love to the people here in Sta. Rita. We help people both temporally and spiritually because we believe what the scripture says, ‘If ye are prepared, ye shall not fear’,” Jumer Operio, president of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints Tacloban Philippines Stake (diocese), said.

The local government has been planning to set up an operation center in Barangay Old Manunca to quickly respond to frequent road crashes in 22 villages along national road that form part of the country’s nautical highway.

Every month, the MDRRMO logs one to three vehicular accidents on its national road. The town center is located 11 kilometers from the national highway.

MDRRMO head Marlo Nerviol thanked the organization for the donation, saying the town, located 47 kilometers north of Tacloban City and with a population of about 43,384, has no rescue boat even if 15 of its villages are flood-prone.

“This is the equipment that we really need. The donor came and offered help. They did not ask anything from us. This is about trust and faith,” Nerviol said during the turnover. (PNA)