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SBMA deploys rescue team to Siargao, gathers donation for ‘Odette’ victims

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SUBIC BAY FREEPORT—An 11-man rescue team from the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) flew to Siargao Island in Surigao del Norte on Sunday to assist in emergency operations in areas devastated by Typhoon Odette.

SBMA Chairman and Administrator Wilma T. Eisma said the team brought along emergency rescue equipment like chainsaws, power tools, ropes, and portable generators for rescue and clearing missions.

She said the SBMA team will also coordinate with local officials to restore power and communication facilities on the island.

Typhoon Odette (international code name Rai) first made landfall on Thursday, December 16, at Siargao, which is considered the surfing capital of the Philippines.

Authorities said at least 15 people died in the island, which also lost its electricity and is reportedly running out of potable water, food, and medicines.

Eisma said the SBMA team enplaned early Sunday morning for Siargao, and is expected to carry out its emergency mission within 10 days.

“We understand that time is very crucial at this stage of disaster response, so we immediately sent in our rescue team as soon as we can find some transportation for them,” Eisma said on Monday.

“Our team, which is headed by SBMA fire chief Ranny Magno, an acknowledged expert in disaster and emergency operations, are experienced in this kind of operations and have specialized in urban search and rescue,” Eisma added.

She pointed out that in the last five years alone, the SBMA emergency rescue team “has proven its capability during disaster missions in Baguio, Cagayan, and Bicol, as well as during floods and fires in communities surrounding the Subic Freeport.”

Meanwhile, the Subic agency is also undertaking a parallel disaster response by collecting donations for victims of Odette.

SBMA Public Relations Manager Armie Llamas said the SBMA has requested donations last Saturday from Subic Freeport stakeholders, particularly for sleeping mats, hygiene kits, easy-open canned goods, mosquito nets, pre-loved clothes, and bottled water.

“We are now gathering the donations from locator-companies and residents in Subic, as well as SBMA employees, and once we have enough, we will send these through the DSWD [Department of Social Welfare and Development] and OCD [Office of Civil Defense],” Llamas said.

Eisma said the Subic community has been giving its all-out support to donation drives by the SBMA, thereby complementing agency’s emergency assistance. “This is our routine response in the past five years whenever some disaster strikes and the situation is desperate,” she pointed out.

“We understand that timely response is imperative and we need to act fast. And we are so fortunate that our stakeholders are very sympathetic to our efforts in helping others,” she added.

Read full article on BusinessMirror

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