By CESAR JOLITO III
Kabankalan City Mayor Benjie Miranda said the city government is preparing to declare a state of calamity as severe flooding continues to displace residents and inundate farmlands following heavy rains brought by the southwest monsoon enhanced by Tropical Depression “Crising.”
“Declaring a state of calamity will allow us to mobilize resources and provide urgent assistance to affected farmers and residents,” Miranda said.
The declaration will enable the city to access its calamity funds for relief operations and rehabilitation efforts.
The City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (CDRRMO) will finalize an executive endorsement for the calamity state declaration, which will be submitted to the city council for approval in an emergency session.
As of 11:30 a.m. yesterday, at least 261 families, or 969 individuals, from eight barangays had been forced to evacuate to 10 designated evacuation centers, according to the CDRRMO.
“The water level remains high and may take several days to subside,” Miranda said, expressing concern over the widespread flooding in agricultural areas.
Heavy rains have battered Kabankalan and neighboring localities since Thursday, July 17, causing rivers to overflow and farmlands to be submerged.
Authorities continue to monitor the situation as more rain is expected in the coming days.
Declaration on hold
Despite persistent rains and severe flooding affecting multiple localities, the Negros Occidental provincial government has yet to declare a state of calamity.
Provincial Administrator Atty. Rayfrando Diaz II said the province is still consolidating damage assessments across affected areas, including agricultural losses and impacts on livestock.
Without complete data, Diaz said there is currently no sufficient basis to formally declare a state of calamity.
“We are still waiting for the complete damage reports,” he said.
The Capitol is expected to issue a decision on the state of calamity once the full extent of the damages is validated.
“Once the criteria are met, the Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council will immediately convene to decide on the declaration,” Diaz pointed out.
He assured the public that preemptive measures and aid distribution are being carried out, while damage assessments continue.
Currently, Negros Occidental is on blue alert status, which means that all disaster response units are on standby and active monitoring is ongoing.
Emergency response teams have already been deployed to flood-hit areas, while the province has dispatched dump trucks to assist in transporting displaced residents to evacuation centers.
Initial reports indicate that at least six local government units in the 5th District have been affected by flooding.
Continuous rains have also raised concerns about potential landslides in upland communities.
Diaz urged residents in high-risk areas to remain vigilant and cooperate with local authorities in case evacuation becomes necessary./CJ, WDJ