The United States government, through the US Agency for International Development (USAID), on Monday and Tuesday handed over a mobile storage unit and mobile energy systems worth more than P11.6 million ($208,000) to boost Cagayan province’s disaster risk reduction capacity.

USAID Mission Director Ryan Washburn turned over the mobile storage unit which can store 50,000 food packs to Cagayan Provincial Administrator Atty. Maria Rosario Mamba-Villaflor. The unit will allow the provincial government to store food and non-food items so they can rapidly deliver life-saving assistance in the immediate aftermath of disasters.

“For many years, USAID has dispatched teams to Cagayan and other provinces in Northern Luzon to support local government units in providing life-saving assistance during calamities,” said Washburn. “As your friend, partner, and ally, the US government remains committed to strengthening our partnerships and working with the Philippine government to rebuild and restore lives following disasters.”

During the rites, USAID also formalized a partnership with Cagayan province and the World Food Program to strengthen Cagayan’s emergency response efforts through the Preparedness and Response Excellence in the Philippines, or PREP, project.

This project will help reduce disaster risks by improving irrigation canals, water systems, and water-harvesting facilities; set up community flood-control dikes; introduce climate-resilient crops; construct community evacuation centers; and provide cash-for-work training so communities can bounce back from natural disasters.