La Trinidad holds flood drill

WITH FLOODING during the onslaught of heavy rains identified a major problem in La Trinidad, the capital town of Benguet carried out its first flood drill on August 24.

In the midst of continuous rains, municipal disaster risk reduction and management council staff, representatives from the 13 municipalities of Benguet convene at the La Trinidad municipal gym.

On Friday, the mu

nicipal gym and the MDRRMC office was utilized as evacuation centers with several teams formed incharge of rescuing several families coming from the different barangays of the municipality.

MDRRMC chairman Mayor Romeo Salda said different observations were discussed prior to the conduct of the flood drill, although these serve as a learning experience for all line agencies who participated.

One input is the lack of transport for evacuees with only the municipal emergency vehicle used on the same day. However, the mayor added a transport group will be made available to aid the hauling of evacuees.

Salda said the activity is timely with the current inclement weather and have recommended for the preferred utilization of manual early warning system such as the “batingting” (bell ringing) present in every 16 barangays.

The mayor said he has also recommended for the quarterly conduct of the drill.

A total of 1,000 persons can be accommodated at the La Trinidad Municipal Gym while 800 persons for the MDRRM Office near the Km. 5 parking space.

Earlier in July, Department of Science and Technology Cordillera regional director Nancy Bantog conveyed the presence of landslide sensors which are being perfected and tested along Little Kibungan in La Trinidad.

“What is being tested here in the region are those deepseated landslide sensors. We have this plan here at DOST that we’ll be having this kind of project, rain induced landslide sensors and I think these will be implemented next year which is our plan DOST-CAR this year more on the flooding with the collaboration of other agencies such as MGB,” she said.

Last year, the Sangguniang Bayan of La Trinidad also approved a resolution requesting for P100 million allocation for Balili River Flood Control Project from President Rodrigo Duterte.

Balili River, major water tributary of the municipality as the town’s catch basin during rainy season, run of and surface water when it overflows affects farmers near the tributary.