KIDAPAWAN CITY (MindaNews/08 November) – North Cotabato may be lucky to be way out of the path of super typhoon “Yolanda”, but the province had remained on red alert status as of Friday afternoon for possible flashfloods.
As predicted, Yolanda made landfall in the Visayas on Friday morning and affected parts of eastern and northern Mindanao.
The Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (PDRRMC) however said they were doing a 24/7 monitoring in case of floods caused by water coming from Bukidnon and Misamis Oriental.
Pulangi River, the biggest water body in Bukidnon flows toward the Rio Grande in Cotabato City through North Cotabato.
PDRRMC head Cynthia Ortega said that the red alert status comes with a 24/7 tight monitoring and communication with flood-prone areas.
These areas include villages in Kabacan town surrounding the Lumayong River and those adjacent to Pulangi River in Pikit as well as some low-lying barangays in Pigcawayan, Matalam and Carmen towns.
“In the recent past, there areas that I mentioned have experienced flashfloods coming from the upstream which caused destruction in both lives and properties,” Ortega recalled.
This is why the PDRRMC is doing its best to lessen the possible destruction caused by flashfloods, she said.
She added that as early as Wednesday the PDRRMC had already sent radio messages to the Local DRRMCs to prepare for Yolanda.
She also reiterated the directive of Gov. Emmylou J. Taliño-Mendoza to the PDRRMC and all local governments to enhance their communication especially during evacuations.
Ortega said that the PDRRMC search and rescue team is on high alert and ready to respond to emergency situations that may be caused by the typhoon.
She also appealed to those residing in areas prone to flashfloods and landslides to take precautionary measures like mandatory evacuation to avoid loss of lives and properties. (Geonarri Solmerano/MindaNews)