BY CHRYSEE G. SAMILLANO
Nine families affected by a landslide in Barangay Alijis, Bacolod City were evacuated by personnel of the Bacolod City Disaster Risk Reduction Management Office to their barangay hall yesterday.
The evacuees comprise of 24 individuals including children from Puroks Roadside and San Jose.
CDRRMO head Dr. Anna Maria Laarni Pornan yesterday said they are monitoring several areas in Bacolod City for possible flooding due to heavy rains. This includes Barangays 39, Bata, Mandalagan, and Banago.
Pornan said all evacuation centers have been prepared as of yesterday due to expected high tide. They have also continued to monitor shorelines and riverbanks in Bacolod, as well as the towns of Salvador Benedicto and Murcia as the continuous rain might cause flood waters to flow down to the city.
All monitoring and evacuation teams have been activated since Saturday after Bacolod City was placed by the Regional Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council under “red alert status” together with other local governments in Western Visayas, she said.
Pornan also reminded all barangays especially those near riverbanks and shorelines to be on alert. They will conduct pre-emptive evacuation if it continues to rain, causing water to rise, in order to forestall the people’s exposure to possible danger.
Earlier, the Bacolod City Schools Division ordered the suspension of face-to-face classes in seven elementary schools in Bacolod City as three weather disturbances continue to bring moderate to heavy rains.
MONITOR, COORDINATE
Bacolod Mayor Evelio Leonardia yesterday directed all barangay captains to monitor flooding incidents and closely coordinate with the City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office as Tropical Depression “Agaton” and the low-pressure area continue to bring moderate to heavy rains.
Leonardia said that barangay leaders must be aware as well that a third weather disturbance, Tropical Storm “Malakas” (international name), also threatens to enter the Philippine area of responsibility.
He ordered the Liga ng mga Barangays to mobilize the village chiefs and prepare for possible flooding and monitor the flood water levels in their respective barangays.
He also called on them to ready evacuation centers that have been identified earlier based on their Barangay DRRMO’s Oplan Listo.
The National DRRM Council has already removed Western Visayas from the list of high-risk areas but Dr. Anna Maria Laarni Pornan, head of the City DRRMO, said Bacolod communities must be on alert because of continuous rains triggered by the weather disturbances.
In cases of emergency, the CDRRMO may be reached thru hotline number 445-3605.*
