MANILA — The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) is building at least 160 temporary shelters for residents in Leyte who lost their homes to Tropical Storm Agaton.

The shelters will be given first to residents of Baybay City and Abuyog, 2 of the places hardest hit by the storm, NDRRMC executive officer Ricardo Jalad said Tuesday.

“Iyon ang mga priority na nakita na kailangang bigyan agad, otherwise nandoon sila sa evacuation centers,” Jalad told reporters.

(They are the ones we see as priority because they need to be given shelters right away, otherwise they would be staying in evacuation centers.)

The shelters, he added, are expected to be completed by June 10.

On Monday, officials of several government agencies met to discuss the construction of the temporary shelters.

The Office of Civil Defense (OCD) will be providing the construction materials and funding, while the Mines and Geosciences Bureau (MGB) was tasked to conduct site assessment, the council said in a statement.

The Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) will handle site inspection, preparation and appropriate site development, while the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) will provide food and cash for work for volunteers, it added.

A permanent shelter program is now also being worked on by the Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development (DHSUD).

The Chinese government earlier pledged to give $200,000 (P10.2 million) as aid for the communities affected by Agaton, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) told the council.

• China vows to give P10 million aid for Agaton victims

Aside from relief and recovery operations, the NDRRMC is also reviewing existing early warning systems for landslides, guidelines on forced evacuation, early relocation of communities and critical facilities, and local and regional disaster response.

More than 16,000 homes were damaged by Agaton when it hit parts of the country from April 9 to 12.

About 77,000 people have been displaced by the storm after losing their homes.

It also left at least 212 dead, 132 missing, and 8 people hurt.

• NDRRMC: 34 more confirmed killed by Agaton; death toll rises to 212

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