Bontoc holds first river flood drill
BONTOC, Mountain Province – People residing near the Chico River in Barangays Samoki and Poblacion of this capital town are now more aware of what to do in an event of flooding in their areas.
First flood evacuation drill in the identified barangays on July 11 was initiated by the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) - Regional and Provincial Offices in partnership with the Provincial Government of Mountain Province and Bontoc Municipal Government through its Municipal Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (MDRRMO).
Earlier, a one –day Information Education and Communication (IEC) Campaign on the Deployment of Early Warning Systems ( DEWS) Project and briefing on Flood Drill Activity was conducted by the DOST – Regional and Provincial Offices which was participated in by the members of the Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council ( PDRRMC), Bontoc MDRRMC, barangay officials in the four central barangays of Bontoc ( Barangays Bontoc Ili, Poblacion, Caluttit and Samoki) and MDRRM Officers of the other municipalities in the province.
The onslaught of Typhoon Lawin causing the Chico River to rise, thereby triggering the Flood Early Warning System (EWS) to alarm was the scenario adopted during the drill. There were three EWS installed by the DOST near the Chico River at Barangays Samoki, Poblacion and Bontoc Ili in 2017.
Barangays Samoki and Poblacion were placed under warning level 1, then raised to warning level 2. Warning level 2 is the stage in which residents prepared for evacuation. When warning level 3 or the Evacuation Stage was raised, all residents in danger zones were advised to move to the designated evacuation areas.
A total of 57 evacuees in Barangay Samoki were accompanied by the personnel from the Bontoc Municipal Police Station (MPS) and police trainees under the Field Training Program of the Philippine National Police (PNP) to the “pick- up point” and waited for the vehicle to ferry them to the evacuation center. The 44 evacuees in Eyeb, Poblacion were assisted by barangay officials, personnel from Bontoc MPS and the police trainees to the evacuation center.
To complete the simulation, food packs were distributed to the evacuees at the evacuation centers before decampment.
During the assessment, evaluators gave a thumbs up to the barangay officials and those constituents of Poblacion and Samoki for being responsive and cooperative during the drill.
Evaluators assigned at the Eyeb area and Barangay Samoki similarly shared that most of the residents willingly left their chores and actively participated in the flood drill; directions going to the evacuation centers were posted in conspicuous places; orderly flow of registration of evacuees for accurate head count; logistics were in place such as the presence of medical station, Psycho – social processing area, priority lane for senior citizen, pregnant women, children and
Person with Disabilities ( PWDs); and deployment of all available manpower.
Also, evaluators commended the barangay officials of Poblacion who initiatively knocked from one house to another to remind the residents to prepare for evacuation when the warning alert level 1 was raised to level 2; and the barangay officials of Samoki for being on the scene ready to guide the evacuees.
However, there were also lapses noted by the evaluators such as reluctance of some of the residents living near the Chico River to evacuate.