By Dominique Gabriel G. Bañaga
Five barangays in San Carlos City, Negros Occidental were flooded last Saturday following heavy rains in the area. 
San Carlos City’s five barangays experienced flooding last Saturday following
heavy rains in the area. (San Carlos City PIO, contributed photo)
San Carlos City Mayor Renato Gustilo said the affected areas were barangays 1, 5, 6, Rizal, and portion of Barangay 2.
According to Gustilo most of the residents were caught off guard as it was the first time they have experienced flooding in their area, whereas the others immediately moved to evacuation centers.
The evacuation in the affected areas were hampered due to a brownout, the mayor said.
The San Carlos City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office and the San Carlos City Police Station launched a rescue operation to the residents who were trapped inside their homes due to rising flood waters.
Authorities recorded no fatalities nor injuries during the incident.
Meanwhile, Gustilo said he had coordinated with Engineer Arthur Batomalaque, the city’s Senior Environmental Management Specialist for the City Environment Management Office, wherein Batomalaque explained that the heavy downpour and the debris it brought to the city’s waterways might have caused the flood, including the bottleneck at some stormwater outlets.
The mayor said the plastic wastes that usually clogged waterways are not the cause of the flood since it has been long addressed by the city and the flooding quickly subsided which is a good indication of a non-clogged drainage system.
However, due to the volume of water coming from the mountains, the city’s drainage systems were unable to cope with the volume. Because of this, Gustilo said they will have to recheck their flood control plans and expand some of their waterways.
Batomalaque also specified the importance of planting more trees in the city.
As of yesterday, residents affected by the flood have already returned home, although local authorities are still on alert as rainy weather is currently forecasted to continue until today./DGB, WDJ