Dealing with floods

THE HEAVY downpour last Thursday came like a thief in the night. The flood swept areas that were otherwise known to be on higher grounds as compared to the downtown area. Creeks swelled in the southern part of the city which left hundreds of individuals scampering to safer places. The flood report on the Facebook page of the city government reported that more than 300 individuals were affected by the rising waters in Brgy. Santo Nino, Tugbok District. In Green Meadows subdivision in the same barangay, flood waters reportedly reached up to the waist. We do not know whether this is the first time it happened but this is certainly a cause for concern. It is no longer safe to assume that living in high elevation villages is better. Residents of Matina Pangi and Catalunan Pequeno went on preemptive evacuation before it got worse. Awareness on disaster mitigating response was at play during the flood. Many who were stranded had no choice but to wait for the flood to subside before going home.

It was such a stressful evening for all those who were affected. Many are thinking if flash flood is the new norm. Maybe. If nothing is done to keep our environment healthy, floods will be more frequent, no doubt about that. A report by the United Nations in 2016, “The Human Cost of Weather Related Disasters”, showed that from 1995 to 2015 or in the last 20 years, 157,000 people have died as a result of floods. Also, between 1995 and 2015, there 2.3 billion people affected by the flood which accounts for 56% of all those affected by weather-related disasters. Disaster preparedness has to be strengthened so that everyone will know what to do when calamities like this strikes.