Beware! Small rains could bring floods!

Last Monday we wrote about the mega flooding that struck Cebu City over the weekend and bewailed the lack of the presence of the government's Disaster Risk Reduction Management Council (CCDRRMC) and gave our suggestions on how to improve their response system. Apparently that article got the attention of Alvin Santillana, Executive Director the CCDRRMC. So let me reprint his letter in full.

"Maayong adlaw sir Bobit, This is Alvin of CCDRRMC. If you would permit me, I would like to inform you that we have been using our flood prone, landslide prone and fire incident maps for more than 5 years now in managing disaster risk reduction and each data are updated periodically.

In fact we have been using these hazard maps in implementing pre-emptive evacuation to areas in danger such as Brgy Sinsin landslide, Sitio Dakit Guadalupe flooding, Mahiga clearing of 3 meter easement and more…those media who were able to interview me in my office can see these maps posted on the wall behind my office.

We are very sure that the residents of these areas identified as danger zones are aware that they are at risks because these maps were generated based on actual assessment and survey from the affected persons themselves. In fact, all of them have received orders to vacate during the famous Mahiga clearing of the 3 meter easement that prove the geniuses of Mayor Rama's "Political Will" after we were slapped with a case and given death threats but still continued to implement the clearing which eventually paid up after the case was dismissed.

The most efficient early warning system that our office had been using is both AM and FM stations that aired our advisory to the public since most people listen to the radio. We keep on advising "evacuation, rather than rescue" and people should not wait for someone or the government to tell them when to evacuate. I have been repeating this phrases over and over during interviews and in the newspaper. Surely these actions are enough for a normal person to understand and apply.

We have even dispatched the Mabolo Brgy Disaster Brigade to evacuate those areas prior to the rise of flood level during the weekend. Not to mention that Brgy. Mabolo has been issued with flood boat from our office and has the most number of life jackets issued in 2010. But people insisted to stay in their homes, which eventually have put their lives in danger when they did not evacuate immediately.

I hope this short explanation will suffice to clarify your doubts that we are operating under the principle of reactive response but rather, our guiding principles are based on proactive management as provided in RA 10121. Thank you very much for taking time to read my side of your opinion. God bless. At your service. Alvin Santillana."

Thank you for this lengthy response to my article Mr. Santillana and I reprinted it in this column in order to emphasize the utmost importance that I put on our problems with flooding in the city. Thanks also for sending me a digital copy of the maps identifying the danger zones in Cebu City. This means you have done your job well in understanding what causes the flooding and where we should begin solving this problem. I also appreciate your use of AM and FM radio to broadcast your warning systems.

I do not question your earnest work in proactive management, which is the right way to handle these problems. I know that you, like most of us, are still waiting for the massive master drainage plan for Cebu City to be funded and implemented, which means despite your efforts, we will continue to have flooding in Cebu City until this project will proceed. This is why our problem is still here. So back to the question, why was there no presence of any Cebu City government during last weekend's flooding?

At this point, I would like to believe that the CCRRMDDC relies on barangay officials to help out the residents when the flooding (or fire) hits the area. Frankly speaking, I don't think that our barangay tanods are well-trained to handle such emergency problems. Since we no longer have the Reserve Officers Training Corps (ROTC) in our schools, may I suggest that the CCRRMDDC meet with our barangay captains and tap the barangay youth and give them uniforms and have them trained with the Emergency Rescue Unit Foundation (ERUF).

More importantly, Cebuanos of today should be aware and always be alert of any potential disaster that could suddenly be upon us in a simple rainstorm. That in my book was what happened to Cebu last weekend. There were no storm or typhoons in the Philippine Area of Responsibility (PAR) but just strong rain. Thanks to global climate changes ordinary rains have become deluge-bearing thunderstorms we've never seen in the past.

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For email responses to this article, write to [email protected] or [email protected]. His columns can be accessed through www.philstar.com.

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