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Red Cross provides clean water for quake affected individuals in Ormoc

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Philippines
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Philippine Red Cross
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Providing safe and potable water is an utmost concern in disaster affected areas. The Philippine Red Cross (PRC) immediately conducted Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) operations to provide clean and safe access of water to the effected families of Ormoc in Leyte, after a magnitude 6.5 earthquake shook the province on July 6, 2017.

The PRC mobilized its water tanker with 5,000 liter-capacity from PRC Leyte Chapter to provide safe and clean water. And also, set up of 5,000 liter- capacity of water bladders are ongoing in Barangay Dolores covered court, which is one of the evacuation centers in the province.

More than 400 jerry cans from PRC Tacloban warehouse were also distributed to the internally displaced people (IDPs). And also, 30 family tents donated by the Qatar Red Crescent Society were set up to accommodate the affected families.

“Our heart goes out to Ormoc City. We assure that assistance and proper responses are delivered immediately. We already dispatched water tanker, as well as set up water bladders and tap stands to augment the lack of clean and safe water supply in the area. The Red Cross will continue to monitor the situation in order to extend further assistance and much needed help,” said PRC Chairman and C.E.O Richard J. Gordon.

As part of their WASH service delivery, the PRC focuses on promoting hygiene, and improving access to water and sanitation facilities that can be utilized in times of emergencies and disasters. According to the PRC Health Services, the key component of basic elements in providing safe water supply is from source, to treatment unit, to delivery and storage, up to the distribution.

Chairman Gordon added that the Red Cross has already stepped up its emergency response by activating its responders and volunteers to provide assistance to the affected individuals, especially those people who were trapped in damaged buildings and establishments.

The PRC also deployed Welfare teams in Ormoc Central School. They provided Psychosocial Support Program (PSP) to help the affected individuals to endure the trauma they inflicted during the incident.

Based on initial reports from PRC Operations Center, more than 400 families from Municipalities of Jaro and Kananga, and Ormoc City were displaced and stayed in six evacuation centers in the province. The National Disaster Risk Reduction Management Council (NDRRMC) declared Ormoc City under state of calamity.

To continue to deliver life-saving measures, the PRC deployed additional assessment and operation teams in Barangay Luna, Mejia, Dolores, and San Pablo in Ormoc. PRC Chapters in the nearby provinces are all on standby in case more manpower is needed to cater the needs of the affected individuals and families.