PILI, Camarines Sur (PIA) --Flooding threatens approximately 128,000 hectares of land in the province, putting 906,000 residents out of a total population of 2,068,244 at risk.

Almost half of Camarines Sur’s municipalities are classified as high-risk areas for flooding. These include 16 municipalities within the Bicol River floodplains. 539 out of 882 barangays in the province are classified as having "very high flood susceptibility." "The population at risk includes 152,037 residents, including 12,351 IPs and 5,103 Persons with Disabilities (PWDs),"  Environment, Disaster Management, and Emergency Response Office (EDMERO) Chria Ian Pan said.

Included in the "very high flood susceptibility" are Cabusao, Del Gallego, Lupi, Ragay, and Sipocot, all in District 1; LGUs Gainza, Libmanan, Milaor, Minalabac, Pamplona, Pasacao, and San Fernando in District 2; Bombon, Calabanga, Camaligan, Canaman, Magarao, Ocampo, and Pili in District 3.

Ten (10) municipalities in District 4, mostly classified as coastal areas, include Caramoan, Garchitorena, Goa, Lagonoy, Presentacion, Sagñay, San Jose, Siruma, Tigaon, and Tinambac. In District 5, the municipalities of Baao, Balatan, Bato, Buhi, Bula, Nabua, and the City of Iriga are also vulnerable to the same risk.

Twenty-three (23) of Camarines Sur's municipalities and its 213 barangays are situated in the coastal areas, making them the target of devastating tropical cyclones which usually originate or are formed in the east or southeast of the country, where a substantial length of Camarines Sur’s coastline lies on the eastern seaboard.

"Tropical cyclones also generate other hazards such as floods, storm surges, and landslides," Pan added.

The landslide threat also affects 3,393 hectares of land and puts 401,210 Camarinenses at risk.

As for faultlines and earthquakes, Camarines Sur is affected by the Guinayangan faultline located in the western coastal area near Ragay Gulf. There is also the Legazpi Lineament, which is a "trending linear feature emanating from Pasacao in the Ragay Gulf area passing through Lake Bato to Legazpi City."

In his report during the 2-day formulation of the DRR plan for the province, Pan also said that the coastal municipalities facing the Pacific Ocean, Lagonoy Gulf, and San Miguel Bat are susceptible to tsunamis. This affects 15 municipalities and their 184 barangays, putting 117,556 people at risk.

Lagonoy Gulf covers the towns of Caramoan, Lagonoy, Presentacion, Sagñay, San Jose, and Tigaon. Those municipalities located along the San Miguel Bay are Cabusao, Bombon, Calabanga, Magarao, Sipocot, Tinambac, and Libmanan. Coastal towns facing the Pacific Ocean include Garchitorena, Siruma, North Lagonoy, and North of Tinambac.

Camarines Sur's 35 municipalities, one city, and 882 barangays are not only considered to be at high risk for flooding and tsunamis but also for tropical cyclones, landslides, earthquakes, liquefactions, and volcanic eruptions due to their unlikely location along the typhoon-belt and inclusion within the Philippine Rift Zone.

Listed as one of the top ten highly disaster-prone provinces in the country, Camarines Sur has gathered all Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (PDRRMC) members  Oct. 4 to 5, at Villa Del Rey, Capitol Complex,  to formulate a 10-year DRRM blueprint, with the inclusion of health plans to ensure zero-casualty and mitigate the damaging effects of  disruptive natural calamities. (Reposted with permission from PDRRMC, EDMERO-PIA 5/Camarines Sur)