Whenever a typhoon strikes, Jonalyn Pimienta worries about her family's safety since their house is located near the Mestizo River in Barangay Pandan, Caoayan, Ilocos Sur.
 
In an interview on Monday, April 1, she mentioned she would never forget two of the most devastating typhoons she experienced which were Tropical Storm ‘Mario’ (International Name: Fung-wong) in September 2014 and Super Typhoon 'Egay' (International Name: Doksuri) in July 2023.
 
The water level reached their house during these storms, rising to their hips.
 
Pimienta serves as the treasurer of their barangay and the president of the Neighborhood Association for Shelter Assistance (NASA) in Caoayan, while her husband works as a construction worker.
 
Due to insufficient savings to build their own home, they live with their in-laws, with their three children attending college and secondary school.
 
Despite their challenging situation, they remain resilient, constantly striving to provide for their family's needs.

As part of the efforts of the national government to help those affected by calamities, Pimienta's family and other families in Caoayan town received shelter aid to address their housing needs.
 
On March 23, the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) turned over new housing units to 94 families in Caoayan town and the city of Vigan whose houses were damaged or destroyed by Tropical Storm ‘Mario’.
 
The intervention was funded under the DSWD’s Core Shelter Assistance Program (CSAP), which aims to assist disaster-affected families in acquiring new decent shelters.
 
Each family now has a bungalow housing unit with a one-bedroom, kitchen, and bathroom, covered by a four-meter by five-meter solar-type roofing.
 

DSWD shouldered the material cost of the housing units, while the local government units as their counterparts, hired workers to build the houses and provided means for enhancing the shelter houses.
 
Pimienta said the local government of Caoayan provided funding for a septic tank and bathroom fixtures.
 
With this assistance, Pimienta was overjoyed to receive a brand-new and safer home to live in.
 
“We are beyond grateful to the government for allowing us to build our own home, one that we’ve always dreamt of,” Pimienta said.
 
She added they feel safer now that they have adjusted the foundation of their new house to be five times higher than their previous home, which prevents water from entering during floods.

Vigan City councilor and chairperson of the committee on social services, Glendale Benzon, said the city government will provide additional financial assistance to the recipients for the installation of new windows in their homes.
 
Eherna Villamar, one of the beneficiaries from Barangay San Julian Norte in Vigan City, also expressed her happiness after the turnover ceremony.
 
“We are a family of five and we have been living with our in-laws. With the help of the DSWD and the city government, we now have our own home to live in. Thank you very much!” Villamar said.

According to the DSWD, the beneficiaries were those who live below the poverty line and whose houses are within the danger zone assessed by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources-Mining and Geosciences Bureau.
 
From 2015 to the present, a total of 354 shelter units were completed and turned over to beneficiaries in Ilocos Sur province from the DSWD.
 
The DSWD added that another 77 families in Caoayan town and 23 families in Vigan City whose houses were damaged by Tropical Storm 'Mario' are set to receive their new housing units this year.
 
With their new and sturdier home, Pimienta and Villamar shared that not only do they feel safer now, but they are also more courageous in facing both the challenges of typhoons and the challenges of life. (JCR/MJTAB/JMCQ, PIA Ilocos Sur)