14 families evacuated from landslide areas in Baguio

By Dionisio Dennis, Jr.

BAGUIO CITY – The city government here has evacuated 14 families from Kennon Road for fear of landslide as Typhoon “Ambo” batters parts of the country, Mayor Benjamin Magalong said on Friday.

Magalong said the families have been brought to the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) facility in Camp 7 as their temporary shelter.

He said they fear that several critical infrastructures have been eroded due to non-stop rains.

The city has allowed 14 construction firms to resume weeks ago to correct the critical infrastructures which were left unfinished prior to the enhanced community quarantine (ECQ).

He said some infrastructure projects have started the soil excavation but were left unprotected when the ECQ started on March 17.

Most of the projects involved drainage and protective retaining walls, which Magalong said, were allowed to be continued amid the ECQ.

He said the permits of the 14 construction firms were immediately processed.

“We fast-tracked this because it is urgent. It is very critical that they are finished because it is already the rainy season and if not attended to will cause the loss of lives and damage to property,” Magalong earlier said.

He said he already allowed cement and steel to be transported to the city for use in the critical construction.

Magalong also said they have started preparation for the typhoon as early as three days ago, assuring that all necessary personnel will be linked through a communication system in case the major telecom system bogs down.

“We were able to secure radios, we are now propagating the signal and doing a radio-net diagram,” Magalong said in a media interview.

Magalong said they have ironed out the operational responsibility of the City Disaster Risk Reduction Management Office (DRRMO) and how to become proactive.

As of Thursday, he has ordered the cleaning of canals at the different villages with debris and ordered the use of a backhoe to clear the entrance of the tunnel at the City Camp lagoon to prevent blockade that will cause a flood. The lagoon is the drain of several high elevation villages, which further goes to La Union.

Magalong said rescue equipment has been deployed and pre-positioned in case of emergencies.

“We have decentralized all rescue equipment at satellite depot, prepositioned them at the Athletic bowl in Burnham Park, the Convention center. Kasi kapag may nangyari di natin mare-retrieve sa city camp (because if something happens, we cannot retrieve it at city camp),” he said.

He said as of Thursday, the city has recorded 30 millimeters of rainfall, which has already caused landslides. (PNA)