By Cris Diaz
CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY, Jan. 18 (PNA) — Preemptive evacuation was ordered in about 20 barangays Saturday afternoon in this premier capital as water level in rivers and creeks continue to rise at the onset of heavy rains spawned by typhoon Agaton.
The local disaster risk reduction management council said that “Orange alert” that calls for community preparedness was raised about 2 p.m. Saturday here prompting the implementation of preemptive evacuation.
These barangays were Lower Balulang, Carmen, Consolacion, , Macasandig, Macanhan, Canitoan, San Simon, Barangays 7, 10, 15, in downtown Cagayan de Oro City, Bulua, Pagatpat, Iponan and coastal barangays of Bonbon, Bayabas, Kauswagan, Puntod, and Macabalan.
The disaster council, however, said that preemptive evacuation means that children, women,and the elderly should be moved to evacuation centers first while the able-bodied members of the family may stay on guard in their houses and properties.
Most of the affected areas were located along the coastal areas and the river banks of Cagayan de Oro – areas severely affected by Typhoon Sendong in December 2011.
Barangay Captain Marvin Beja of Puntod said that they have not received any communication from the local disaster council body about the preemptive evacuation of barangay residents.
He said that they only heard of the instruction through the radio which should not be the case. “The local disaster council should have communicated to us first before making announcements over the radio,” Beja said.
He said that the council should send transportation facilities to the concerned barangays so that the children, the pregnant women, and the elderly could be transported to evacuation centers immediately.
The local weather bureau station in El Salvador, Misamis Oriental has issued precautionary measures to residents in Misamis Oriental and Cagayan de Oro City for possible flash floods and landslides in the area as typhoon Agaton, now 145 kilometers east of Surigao City, was moving southwest toward the Mindanao mainland that may land fall Sunday morning.(PNA)