Western Visayas on highest emergency response level, high risk for floods

BACOLOD, Philippines – Five provinces in Western Visayas stepped up their disaster emergency preparedness protocols after the Regional Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (RDRRMC) tagged their areas as high risk for landslides and floods.

The region is outside the signal system of  Tropical Storm Paeng, which the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical, and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) upgraded from a tropical depression.

But the trough or extension of Tropical Storm Paeng and the shear line have spawned heavy rain, leading to floods in Aklan, Antique, Capiz, Iloilo, and Negros Occidental.

RDRRMC spokesperson Cindy Ferrer said Bacolod and Iloilo, together with the province of Guimaras, remained at no to very low risk.

Bacolod Mayor Albee Benitez decided to cancel classes on Thursday, October 27. He posted photos of floods entering homes in Barangay Alijis, which is near a river, late Wednesday. 

The city’s rescue teams were also deployed to strategic areas on Thursday to ensure swift response to calls for aid, Benitez said.

RDRRMC chairperson Roberto Nuñez urged local executives in the affected provinces to “take all necessary measures to protect life and property.”

He appealed to residents of vulnerable areas to follow preemptive evacuation plans and other instructions from their local governments.

At the briefing, the RDRRMC said 1,808 barangays in the region are in the Department of Environment and Natural Resources’ (DENR) list of communities vulnerable to floods and landslides.

The Negros Occidental Provincial Social Welfare and Development Office reported that 144 families or 719 individuals have been affected by floods.

San Carlos City, on the far northern side of the province, reported 102 families affected, while Calatrava and Sipalay each sent a list of 20 families. – Rappler.com