BY MATÉ ESPINA
MIXED emotions from people of the third district after nonstop rains battered northern Negros Occidental, forcing thousands to evacuate.
Just a week after the flooding that greeted them on New Year’s Day, residents in the cities of Talisay, Silay, Victorias and the town of EB Magalona, were subjected to mass evacuation again after waters reached as high as 13 feet in some areas.
The Victorias Milling Company blasted their sirens twice to warn people of possible flooding as rivers overflowed. The last time the siren was heard was ten years ago when the mill went underwater as well due to heavy rains.
Traffic in a major highway was rerouted after a crack was noticed in a bridge in Talisay City were all northbound vehicles pass through.
As of this writing, the provincial disaster team reported that 76,000 people have been affected. Government, the private sector and the church had been conducting food drive to help feed those who were stuck in evacuation centers as the rains are expected to continue till Wednesday.
Damage to crops, livestock and homes are expected to double than the estimated New Year’s Day flood at P17 million. Rains and strong winds have been battering northern Negros since Friday last week and since high tide at night time comes past midnight, disaster teams have remained on alert and spent sleepless nights to monitor flash floods.
A 43-year-old resident of Barangay Guimbalaon in Silay City is the lone fatality so far. According to reports, Marvito Lumanoy was already in the evacuation center, along with his family, when he decided to go home to check on their property.
Because of incessant rains, the grounds softened and Marvito’s house collapsed on him on his visit.
Provincial Disaster Monitoring chair, Zephard Caelian called on the public to aim for preventive evacuation rather than responsive rescue, especially for children and the elderly, some of whom had to be rescued from their rooftops.
The third district upland barangays were also asked to monitor and report overflowing tributaries to forewarn low lying areas.
The two consecutive weeks of flooding in the third district raised the discussion of saving our Negros forest and brought to light again the massive construction of vacation homes in upland areas, some of which are already part of forest reserve.
Fish ponds in the third district have also been seen as a problem that prevents water from the upland to find its way to the sea. In Victorias City, a public cemetery turned into a lake and except for some crosses jutting out of higher graves, no one could guess that a cemetery is in that area.
Negros Occidental’s Gov. Bong Lacson said that progress and modernization has led to the use of concrete and impermeable materials, leaving little ground for water to sink in during heavy rains.
In an interview with Digicast Negros, the governor said that, “In all our efforts towards progress, we must demonstrate that economic growth and protection of the environment can go together and not be in conflict with each other.”
He also called for people’s discipline to adhere to proper waste disposal after garbage was pointed to as the main culprit that obstructed waterways.
Meanwhile, the national government sent P1.5 million worth of assistance through the DSWD to help affected residents in Western Visayas and the Bicol Region. However, there was no specific amount as to how much will be given to Negros Occidental.
The DPWH though, at the order of Malacañang as well, have started dredging operations in northern Negros last Saturday.
Talisay’s Mayor Neil Lizares meanwhile thanked Sen. Sonny Angara who donated P100,000 in his LGU for relief operations. Rotary clubs here have also mobilized to help through food packs for those in evacuation centers.
Surprisingly, as northern Negros is being battered by rain, southern Negros has not experienced a rainfall at all since the start of the year.
With sugar milling season at its peak and three major mills operate in the third district, it is anybody’s guess at this time how this will affect the province’s major industry.
For now, we can only pray that the rains will stop and people will still have strength left to pick up their lives and rebuild again.
We are not even talking of the COVID spread in evacuation centers. That will take another day. For now, it is imperative that people are brought to safety and prevent loss of more lives.
What a way to start 2021….and right after a disastrous 2020./PN
