The Province of Negros Oriental is preparing a disaster risk reduction management plan that will be in place by December.
Provincial Planning & Development Officer Joy Gongob told a Kapihan sa PIA forum that this plan is made to prepare for floods and other natural disasters.{{more}}
Fourteen LGUs in the province have been identified as flood-prone, namely: Vallehermoso, Guihulngan, La Libertad, Tayasan, Bindoy, Manjuyod, Bais, Tanjay City, Zamboanguita, Siaton, Sta. Catalina, Bayawan City, Basay and Dumaguete City.
Aside from floods, the Province also has an active volcano which could also cause landslides.
The Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction Management Council is set to visit towns and cities here for an ocular inspection of hazard-prone areas across the province this week.
Gongob, said the plan will also seek to address AH1N1 and Avian Flu outbreaks and even oil spills.
“The plan is still in the process of finalization but it will be ready within this month once it has been approved by the Provincial Development Council,” she said.
Data from Phivolcs presented by Gongob during the briefing showed that the country sits on what has been called as the “Ring of Fire” with active faults cutting across the province.
An active fault is described as an earthquake generator due to fractures on the Earth’s surface where rock movement has taken place and earthquakes have been produced.
Aside from this, Gongob said the Philippines is bounded by major plates — the Eurasian and the Pacific plates on both sides while at the bottom is the Australian plate.
Gongob likewise disclosed that the council is eyeing the purchase of one bomb suit, costing “millions of pesos”, which will be used by trained personnel in detonating bombs.
This is in view of the recent series of bomb threats that rocked several parts of the city in the past month. (PIA/RMN)
