KORONADAL CITY (MindaNews/29 July) — The city government here is considering the declaration of the entire area under the state of calamity following a series of flashfloods over the weekend that affected at least eight barangays.
Cyrus Urbano, city administrator, said they are presently evaluating the extent of the damages wrought by the flashfloods last Saturday that came following hours of continuous rains.
He said the almost nonstop rains, which started early Friday, caused the critical Bulok Creek and Marbel River to overflow and submerged nearby communities.
The areas affected by the floods covered portions of barangays Assumption, Mambucal, Sta. Cruz, San Isidro, Carpenter Hill, Namnama, Concepcion and Zone 3 in Poblacion, he said.
Portions of Barangay Zone 3 were submerged in waist-deep floodwaters due to the swelling of the Bulok Creek, which also traverses the city’s downtown area.
Urbano said they relocated 12 families in Barangay Namnama and six in Concepcion as a result of the floods.
He said no casualties were reported during the incident but six houses situated in riverside communities in the area sustained partial damages after being hit by rushing floodwaters.
The official said the relief operations are presently ongoing for the affected families in Namnama and Concepcion.
“We have enough food stocks for the relief operations and the city social welfare and development office has been stockpiling additional supplies,” he said in a radio interview.
Urbano said the City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (CDRRMC) is still assessing the damages caused by the floods within the affected areas.
“The mayor (Peter Miguel) has been leading the assessment and the relief operations for the affected residents,” he said.
He said the results of the assessment will determine whether there’s a need to declare the entire city under the state of calamity.
“There are specific parameters and requirements needed for the issuance of a calamity declaration and that will depend on the assessment results,” he said.
Urbano said such decision will be made after the convening of the CDRRMC, which is headed by the city mayor. (Allen V. Estabillo/MindaNews)