LEGAZPI CITY: The Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) will build the country’s first typhoon and earthquake proof public school buildings to mitigate the effects of natural calamities and extreme weather disturbances. Starting this year the department will be constructing typhoon and earthquake proof public school buildings in Bicol that are resilient enough to withstand a typhoon with 300kph (kilometer per hour) strength. Villar said the current public infrastructure, specifically public school buildings, can only withstand a 255-kph typhoon resulting in bigger damages here and putting the lives of evacuees in great danger. “The goal is not only to use the public school infrastructure for evacuation but also to build a lasting structure that is conducive for learning,” he said. Earlier, the Department of Education in Bicol released an initial report that revealed at least P1.1 billion damages to public school buildings based on the post assessment by the Regional Disaster Risk Reduction Management Council here.

Source: Manila Times January 14, 2017 12:20 UTC