Flood-hit barangay trained on disaster preparedness
DUMAGUETE City’s barangay Candau-ay, home to nearly 6,400 residents, was among those hardest hit by typhoon Sendong in December 2011.
Surrounded by three rivers—Banica River, Mojon Creek and Ocoy River—the barangay and its 10 puroks were rendered nearly helpless by the floods that accompanied Sendong’s heavy downpour. Four lives were lost, 68 houses were wiped out while 254 houses were partially damaged, and 911 households of the 1,200 were displaced.
The barangay was supposed to have a series of seminars conducted by the Corporate Network for Disaster Response (CNDR) on disaster preparedness for three succeeding Saturdays that fateful month of December. But after the first session, the disaster struck and the community was not prepared for it.
Relief from the international donor community and the private sector, including CNDR-member company Smart Communications Inc., poured into the community.
Having seen the damage to the community, Smart has identified barangay Candau-ay as its pilot site for the Noah’s Ark Project in Dumaguete City.
The program, which involves trainings and workshops, runs for six months and culminates with a flood warning and evacuation drill, which barangay Candau-ay managed to execute well last June 1. The drill started early that Saturday.
Simulating a real disaster, the barangay council was convened at the barangay hall to get updates from the City Disaster Risk Reduction Management Council about the typhoon. The same updates were being cascaded by the barangay councilors to the purok leaders. The entire barangay is now under preparedness status.
When warning level 3 “Evacuation Status” was issued by the CDRRMC, the barangay council members relayed the same to the purok leaders who then announced through megaphone and siren warning all residents in high-risk areas to get ready to move to the three evacuation centers.
Residents were then advised to proceed on foot to the nearest evacuation center while those needing transportation, were asked to go to pick-up points. At the evacuation centers, security, medical and other support terms were on hand to assist the sick, disabled or the elderly.
To complete the simulation, relief goods and food were distributed to the evacuees in the various evacuation centers before decampment.
