Filipinos carry a victim following an earthquake July 6 in Leyte. A week after the magnitude 6.5 earthquake hit the central Philippine province, hundreds of residents continue to live in temporary shelters. (CNS photo/Robert Dejon, EPA)

After quake, some Philippine communities need to be relocated

856 0

MANILA, Philippines (CNS) — A week after a magnitude 6.5 earthquake hit the central Philippine province of Leyte, hundreds of residents were still living in temporary shelters.

While donations continue to pour in, church leaders at the forefront of relief efforts worry about the displacement of communities, reported ucanews.com. The quake hit areas that were only beginning to recover from the devastation caused by Typhoon Haiyan in 2013.

“Some communities have to be permanently relocated, especially those living along ridges, cliffs and around the lake,” Claretian Father Larry Lorenzo told ucanews.com.

The government already has placed the city of Ormoc and the town of Kananga, the two most badly hit areas, under a state of calamity. Two people were reported killed, while more than 300 were injured.

Authorities said some 400 families in the village of Lake Danao must be moved permanently to another area. At least two villages are directly over a fault line.

The social action arm of the Palo Archdiocese reported that more than 500 individuals continue to live in tents around Lake Danao.

“We are pitching tents on open ground,” Father Lorenzo told ucanews.com. “I woke up due to a strong tremor at one in the morning.”

The church relief organization Caritas listed nearly 4,000 families affected by the earthquake. Some 995 houses were destroyed while another 2,328 were partially damaged.

Father Alcris Badana, head of Caritas Palo, said church officials are worried about people living in makeshift shelters.

“One problem is sanitation. … There are no toilets in the tent city,” said the priest, adding that it would take some time to build a relocation site.

“These people will not be returning to their homes, it’s no longer safe,” he said.

Related Post

Pope Francis meets with U.S. bishops from Arkansas, Oklahoma and Texas during their "ad limina" visits to the Vatican Jan. 20, 2020. The bishops were making their "ad limina" visits to report on the status of their dioceses to the pope and Vatican officials. (CNS photo/Vatican Media)

Pope urges bishops to teach discernment, including on political issues

Posted by - January 26, 2020 0
VATICAN CITY (CNS) — Sometimes the political choices people face can seem like a choice between supporting a “snake” or…
Carole Tessier rides with her birth mother, Margaret Teece Nagella, to the March for Life in Washington Jan. 18, 2019. Tessier met her birth mother for the first time almost a year ago. A few weeks after abortion became legal in the United States Jan. 22, 1973, Nagella, then 18, realized she was pregnant with Tessier. The oldest in a Catholic family of nine from Ravenna, Ohio, she knew from the beginning that she would carry her child to term and find an adoptive family. (CNS photo/Zoey Maraist, Arlington Catholic Herald)

Birth mother and daughter who reunited a year ago march for life together

Posted by - January 27, 2019 0
FAIRFAX, Va. (CNS) — The bus ride from Fairfax to Washington took only half an hour. But for two of…