DAVAO CITY (PIA)--The Office of Civil Defense XI warned residents living along slopes on mountainous areas to transfer to safer ground for their safety.
OCD XI Operations Officer Franz Iraq said it is better to be safe than sorry for those living along the slopes that are prone to mud and landslides.
He stressed that once a landslide strikes, destruction is imminent especially for houses, lives and property below.
“You have to be wary of your situation, even if the areas have a lot of vegetation, so long as it is sloping, it is prone to mud and landslides,” Irag said.
He recognized the fate of the nine persons from Sitio Marawer, Barangay Kapatagan in Digos City who lost their homes recently because of the landslide that hit the area.
Irag said it is good that one household member recognized that the falling debris from the mountain forewarned them of an imminent danger, and they evacuated in due time.
However, many of the residents lost their personal property as the landslide destroyed their homes under a heavy downpour.
Irag said that based on the forecast of the Philippine Atmospheric Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA), the country remains in the rainy season which explains the strong rainfall every now and then.
He added that despite the projected El Niño phenomenon or extreme heat conditions during the remaining months of 2023 up to the early months of 2024, strong rainfall still occur.
“As part of our preparations under the rainy season, we have issued RDRRMC Memorandum to all levels from the city to the barangays to conduct close monitoring of their areas of responsibility and the prepositioning of their response assets like food packs and equipment so that we can assist the evacuees and persons-in-distress. We also urged the LGUs to conduct an inventory of their evacuation centers to ensure their accessibility during the rainy season,” Irag said.
He pointed out that the entire Davao Region needs to be monitored, especially areas that are prone to landslides and floods. (JSGD/ Davao del Sur)
