• GILBERT P. BAYORAN / RICHARD T. CABALLERO JR.
Tropical Depression “Verbena” forced about nearly 24,362 individuals to flee from their homes and seek shelter in various evacuation centers on Tuesday in Negros Island.
An initial report of the Negros Occidental Provincial Risk Reduction Management Council (PDRRMC) stated that 4,230 families, composed of 13,831 individuals across the province trooped to evacuation centers, while the Bacolod City Social Welfare and Development Office reported that 2,563 families, comprising 8,375 individuals, were affected by flooding in the highly-urbanized capital city.
In Negros Oriental, at least 2,256 individuals fled from their homes in Negros Oriental, disaster officials reported Tuesday
Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office head Irene Bel Ploteña reported that some those staying at the evacuation centers heeded the call of Negros Occidental Governor of Gov. Eugenio Jose Lacson for preemptive evacuation.
The Negros Occidental Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (PDRRMO) situational report as of 2:00 p.m. yesterday stated that the majority of evacuees were from the fifth district.
Isabela town recorded 4,764 displaced individuals, followed by Moises Padilla with 2,514, Hinigaran with 1,863, La Castellana with 527, and Himamaylan with 41.
In southern Negros Occidental, additional evacuees were reported in Pontevedra – 899, La Carlota – 243, San Enrique – 244, and Cauayan – 141.
In the northern part of the province, Talisay City evacuated approximately 1,341 residents, while San Carlos had 860 evacuees. EB Magalona reported 225, and Sagay had 169 individuals displaced.
The Office of Civil Defense – Negros Island Region reported that 538 passengers, 136 rolling cargoes and 35 vessels were stranded in the different ports of Negros Island Region.
Floods rendered roads and bridges impassable in La Castellana, Negros Occidental, and Canlaon City in Negros Oriental, where one person remains missing in La Libertad, due to an overflowing river.
No casualty, or missing person has been reported by OCD-NIR.
The evacuations were carried out in accordance with Executive Order No. 25-24, issued by Governor Eugenio Jose Lacson. The order mandates preemptive evacuations in all high-risk areas across the province, elevating the provincial alert status to red to prioritize public safety.
The executive order directs all city and municipal mayors to immediately conduct preemptive evacuations, especially in flood and landslide prone zones. It also authorizes forced evacuations for residents who refuse to leave despite imminent danger.
Effective immediately, the EO will remain in force until the Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (PDRRMC) deems the threat has passed.
“Verbena” left Negros Island Region at around 10:a.m. yesterday. However Tropical Cyclone Wind Signal is still effective in the region, excluding Siquijor.
Food packs were distributed by the provincial governments of Negros Occidental and Oriental, as well as Bacolod City government, to flooding victims at evacuation centers.
Classes were suspended in 37 NIR local government units, and work was suspended in eight LGUs, according to OCD-NIR reports.
It added that 878 families, composed of 2,866 individuals, responded to preemptive evacuations across the region.
The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) distributed boxes of ready-to-eat food (RTEF) to 100 stranded passengers at the BREDCO Port in Bacolod City.
“As part of the directive of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. to ensure that no Filipino will get hungry in times of disaster, our field offices already started Monday the distribution of RTEF to locally stranded individuals in ports located along the path of Tropical Depression Verbena,” Assistant Secretary Irene Dumlao of the Disaster Response Management Group, said.
Each RTEF box has five cans of tuna paella, one can of chicken pastil, one can of ground pork, two packs of arroz caldo (rice porridge with chicken), three packs of champorado (sweet chocolate rice porridge), two protein biscuits and one infant food item.*
