Dark clouds and the sound of pelting rain are all it takes to convince people living in flood-prone areas in Quezon City to flee toward higher ground.
Mayor Herbert Bautista said on Wednesday that unlike before, local officials no longer encounter resistance from residents at risk who, without any prompting, immediately head for the nearest evacuation center.
“They have grown afraid [of the effects of the] ‘habagat’ (southwest monsoon),” he added.
As of noon on Wednesday, nearly 8,000 families from 39 barangays in the city—particularly the areas of Bagong Silangan, Sto. Domingo, Sta. Cruz, Doña Imelda and Roxas District—had sought shelter in more than 80 evacuation centers around the city.
Before leaving their homes, however, each family would assign one or two members, usually men, to stay behind to guard against looters, Bautista said.
“We hope the weather will not be like yesterday’s (Tuesday). At least for now, I think we have already experienced the worst of the habagat,” he told the Inquirer.
Quezon City Police District (QCPD) director Chief Supt. Richard Albano said that all policemen on duty were deployed to the 39 affected barangays for the evacuation operations as well as to maintain peace and order.
“There were some residents who wanted to see floods first before fleeing but there were more who voluntarily evacuated,” he told the Inquirer.
According to Fely Corpuz of the Quezon City Social Services and Development Office (QCSSDO), 7,845 families from 39 barangays were in different evacuation centers as of noon on Wednesday.
Of the total, 2,695 families were from 13 barangays in the first district; 1,715 families were from the second district while 432 families were from three barangays in the third district.
In the fourth district 1,087 families were evacuated from four barangays; 1,336 families were from nine barangays in the fifth district; and 580 families were from five barangays in the sixth district.
According to Corpuz, the QCSSDO has also set up community kitchens for residents in affected areas who are just looking for a hot meal but do not want to stay in an evacuation center.