BY DOMINIQUE GABRIEL G. BAÑAGA
BACOLOD City – Flooding in various parts of Negros Occidental displaced 10,973 families or 36,068 individuals, data from the provincial government showed yesterday.
According to Provincial Administrator Rayfrando Diaz, 2,065 families or roughly 7,024 individuals moved to evacuation centers while the rest (1,950 families or 5,978) stayed with relatives or friends.
Valladolid recorded the highest number of displaced individuals at 14,935.
Acting Governor Jeffrey Ferrer yesterday morning placing the entire province under “blue alert” due to the torrential southwest monsoon rains enhanced by Typhoon “Goring”.
He also ordered the Provincial Social Welfare and Development Office, Provincial Veterinary Office, Office of the Provincial Agriculturist, Provincial Engineer’s Office, and the Provincial Health Office (PHO) to send representatives to the Emergency Operations Center of the Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction Management Council for close coordination.
The Provincial Disaster Management Program Division, together with the Negros Occidental Police Provincial Office, the Philippine Army’s 303rd Infantry Brigade, and Bureau of Fire Protection handle search, rescue, and retrieval operations in affected areas.
The provincial government also released an advisory urging residents exposed to floodwaters to be cautious over leptospirosis, an illness caused by the bacteria Leptospira.
One can get leptospirosis after getting water or soil contaminated by animal pee (urine) in the nose, mouth, eyes or a break in the skin.
Leptospirosis has flu-like symptoms and can be fatal.
In acute leptospirosis, symptoms come on suddenly, including high fever, red eyes, headache, chills, muscle aches, abdominal pain, nausea and vomiting, diarrhea, jaundice, and rash.
Severe leptospirosis symptoms are coughing up blood, chest pain, trouble breathing, severe yellowing of skin or eyes, black stool, blood in urine, decrease in the amount of pee, and flat, red spots on skin that look like a rash.
Seeing a doctor immediately is important when any of the symptoms appear. (Watchmen Daily Journal)
