A recommendation to place Davao Del. Norte under the state of calamity was approved by the Davao Del Norte Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council during an emergency meeting over the weekend.
Two recommendations were passed by the council members, one placing the province under the state of calamity and the other was the allocation of P2-million to be donated to the municipality of Tarragona for the procurement of bottled water.
Tarragona was heavily affected by the doublet quake on October 10. It was about 40.5 kilometers away from the epicenter, which was traced to Manay, Davao Oriental.
The municipality of New Corella in Davao del Norte was also placed under a state of calamity by the Sangguniang Bayan during a special session on Oct. 15.
A reservoir for residents of New Cortez in New Corella was damaged when it fell due to the strong quake. A lot of infrastructures, houses and roads in the town were also damaged by the quakes, which were measured at magnitudes-7.4 and 6.8 respectively.
According to the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC), the twin tremors from Manay, Davao Oriental already caused over P143-million in infrastructure damage.
The earthquakes have so far affected more than one million people across the Davao region, severely impacting the mobility of residents and access to essential services due to damaged roads, bridges and public buildings.
