The Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction Management Office (PDRRMO) has urged local government units (LGUs) to intensify their disaster preparedness by using the geohazard maps under the Comprehensive Land Use Plan (CLUP).
In a Kapihan sa PIA forum, Erwin Macias of PDRRMO highlighted the importance of CLUP, which includes hazard maps that identify the flood and landslide-prone areas.
“But each LGUs should also be compliant with DILG (Department of Interior and Local Government) to produce a CLUP because this document should be made available to anyone who is interested to know the geohazards in every barangay,” said Macias.
He added that the maps are essential for community planning and ensuring that homes are not built in unsafe locations.
Amid the incessant rains brought by typhoon Carina, One Rescue Emergency Medical Services (EMS) medical director Dr. Kenneth Coo emphasized the importance of preparedness, particularly in anticipating typhoons.
“I hope that everybody will know how to monitor bagyo. That’s where the preparedness comes in. The mitigation and prevention is our government kanang mga barangays na duol sa Banica river andaman gyud nila ng ilang dikes that’s prevention and mitigation pero as an individual kelangan makabalo ta asa ga tung-tung akong balay that’s geo hazard,”said Coo.
(I hope that everyone will know how to monitor storms. That’s where the preparedness comes in. Those barangays near the Banica River need to prepare their dikes, and that’s part of the prevention and mitigation. But as individuals, we need to know whether our house is built on a geohazard area.)
Coo, who is also the chair of Crisis Preparedness and Management Committee of the Philippine College of Physicians, urged barangay officials to utilize geohazard maps to better understand and mitigate potential risks in their areas before a calamity strikes.
“Sa atung advocacy usab, ang akong hangyo sa LGUs labi na sa LDRRMO na palapdan ang dissemination kay sila may naka hibalo sa mga disaster prone areas sa barangay ug si barangay usab has to designate a focal disaster person na iya usab e geo hazard si barangay para ma identify na natu ang lugar na bahaanan, duna bay agianan sa linog aron ma minusminusan ang kadaut,” urged Coo.
(In our advocacy, my request to the LGUs, especially the LDRRMO, is to widen the information dissemination because they know the disaster-prone areas in the barangays, while the barangay has to designate a focal disaster person to identify the areas prone to flooding and earthquake to minimize the damage.)
Coo also reminded barangay officials to properly utilize their LDRRM Fund and use it to equip barangay leaders with the knowledge and tools necessary for effective disaster management.
He stressed the barangays’ crucial role in disaster response, especially in a community often visited by natural hazards.
Engr. Jose Molas, seismologist at PHIVOLCS Sibulan Seismic Station, explained the importance of knowing what to do before, during, and after an earthquake.
Molas introduced the Hazard Hunter tool, an application that helps users identify earthquake-prone areas.
He reassured the public that while earthquakes cannot be prevented, proper preparedness can significantly reduce their impact.
“Kon motukod man gani ta og mga balay o building kinahanglan gamitan natu og structural engineer ug soil test para dili masayang atung gasto kay kon naay may linog na duol natu na ni generate ug 7.2 nya gigamit na kabilya dili design sa 7.2 ug masa sa semento dili makadaug sa 7.2 posible dili na ni mapuy-an kay dali rang natumpag,” Molas explained.
(If we’re building a house or building, it is necessary to employ a structural engineer and do a soil test so that our funds will not go to waste. Because when an earthquake happens that generates 7.2 and we’re using steel bars that are not designed for 7.2, so with the cement, it is possible the building will be easily damaged.)
In the same forum, Engr. Daniel Caber, senior meteorologist of PAGASA here, said there is a 70 percent chance of La Niña developing between August and October, likely persisting into the first quarter of 2025.
Caber warned the public to always be prepared as the current La Niña will bring above-normal rainfall that could lead to flooding and landslides.
La Niña is characterized by unusually cooler than average sea surface temperatures in the central and eastern equatorial Pacific. (JCT/PIA7 Negros Oriental with reports from Mary Rose Drotleff, SU Intern)
