HINDANG, Leyte - Almost a month after the wrath of Typhoon Odette that strucked down the entire Southern Leyte and the 5th District of Leyte including this isolated islet in Bato, Leyte named Brgy. Dawahon Island.

While the sea is already serene, by the looks of it at a distance one can say that the islet really was a victim of typhoon’s devastation.

Close to 999 families in 770 households were affected and almost displaced which necessitate assistance from local and national governments, non-government organizations, civil society organizations, and even international humanitarian organizations.

The usual cough and colds were the major diseases noted by the response team. While based on 2021 Operation Timbang (OPT) revealed around 64 combine cases of MAM and SAM.

Said OPT result has yet to be updated with first-quarter OPT. Upon rounds in the entire barangay, there were cases of iron deficiency anemia among 6-59 months old children.

In spite of the typhoon's wrath, the residents showed their resilience by better anticipation of disasters and better planning to reduce disaster losses—rather than waiting for an event to occur and paying for it afterward. However, building the culture and practice of disaster resilience is not simple or inexpensive.
People of Dawahon Island build their resilience through families' strength of social bonds within them (communities) which is a critical component of disaster resilience.

In spite the ruins left by the TY Odette, the people of the islet will build back better in due time as shown by the people’s cooperation and helping each other coupled by the strong leadership of the barangay council headed by the Punong Barangay and the support of local and national government and other partners. #NPC-CPD.