Large part of Cebu suffered from water and electricity shortage after Typhoon Odette slammed into the province on Thursday evening, December 16, 2021.
Days after its landfall, the situation in Cebu was devastating: power was out, shortage of water and telecommunications were down. People were seen on the streets with their containers and plastics bottles with the hope to find water for their families.
The Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG)-7 regional office located in Sudlon, Lahug, Cebu City was not spared by the wrath of the typhoon, which brought a packed maximum sustained wind of 175 kilometers per hour near the center with gusts of up to 240 kilometers per hour when it made landfall in Carcar City, southern Cebu.
The regional office sustained damages, but luckily, there was water and electricity, thanks to its generator set and deep well, which was constructed when Director Leocadio Trovela arrived in Cebu.
Trovela opened the doors of the DILG-7 office to the nearby community by sharing potable water and setting up a charging station in front of the DILG-7 regional office gate.
People flocked to the regional office with a daily average of 150 individuals fetching water, and an average of 120 people availing of free charging.
This was DILG-7’s little way of helping the community during the time of crisis.
Tina, a resident in Sudlon, Lahug, said that the free water and charging station was a huge help for them, they were able to charge their mobile phones and emergency lights.