"In Masbate, he said, the gold mining town of Aroroy as well as the municipalities of Baleno, Mandaon, Milagros and Mobo are equally at risk while in Sorsogon province, the towns of Gubat, Casiguran, Irosin, Juban, Bulusan and Barcelona that are all situated near the foot of Mt. Bulusan are flood-prone." 5 cities, 55 towns in Bicol at risk from floods, landslides: MGB By: Danny O. Calleja, Philippine News Agency June 20, 2013 6:08 AM [Share This] InterAksyon The online news portal of TV5 LEGAZPI CITY, Philippines -The advent of rainy days is placing at least five cities and 55 towns in Bicol under threat of floods and landslides, the regional office of the Bureau of Mines and Geosciences (MGB) said as it called for vigilance among local officials and residents. Apart from Albay’s prime city, engineer Theodore Rommel Pestaño, the MGB regional director, on Wednesday said the province’s two other cities of Ligao and Tabaco as well as its municipalities of Bacacay, Camalig, Daraga, Guinobatan, Libon, Malilipot, Malinao, Manito, Oas, Rapu-Rapu, Sto. Domingo, Pioduran, Polangui and Tiwi are among those highly vulnerable to floods and landslides. All three Albay cities and towns at risk, except for Manito and the island of Rapu-Rapu, are the receiving ends of flash floods emanating from the slopes of Mount Mayon. Manito, on the other hand, lies at the foot of Mt. Inang Maharang, site of the operations of the giant Bac-Man (Bacon-Manito) geothermal energy field being run by the Lopez-owned Energy Development Corporation, while Rapu-Rapu plays host to the massive mining operations of the Korean-owned Rapu-Rapu Polymetallic Project (RRPP). In Camarines Norte province, Pestaño also warned the towns of Basud, Capalonga, Labo, Mercedez, Paracale, San Lorenzo Ruiz, San Vicente and Sta. Elena for possible rain-triggered disasters. In the province of Camarines Sur, he said, Naga City and the municipalities of Bato, Bombon, Buhi, Bula, Calabanga, Camaligan, Canaman, Caramoan, Garchitorena, Goa, Magarao, Lagonoy, Libmanan, Lupi, Pasacao, Presentacion, Sagnay, Sipocot, Pili, Ocampo, Tigaon, and Tinambac should be very watchful to avoid major disasters. All the 11 towns of the island-province of Catanduanes -- Bagamanoc, Baras, Bato, Caramoran, Gigmoto, San Andres, San Miguel, Pandan, Panganiban, Viga and the capital town of Virac -- should do the same, Pestaño said. In Masbate, he said, the gold mining town of Aroroy as well as the municipalities of Baleno, Mandaon, Milagros and Mobo are equally at risk while in Sorsogon province, the towns of Gubat, Casiguran, Irosin, Juban, Bulusan and Barcelona that are all situated near the foot of Mt. Bulusan are flood-prone. Other Sorsogon areas under threats are Bulan, Magallanes, Sta. Magdalena, Matnog, Castilla, Prieto Diaz, Pilar, Donsol -- the world’s whale shark capital, and Sorsogon City, the provincial capital that sits near Bac-Man. “Preparations in lieu of their respective disaster risk reduction management measures must always be in place, including evacuations of affected communities to safer grounds when necessary, especially amid continuous rains for more than three days in their localities,” Pestaño said. It does not, however, follow that because the other two Bicol cities -- Iriga and Masbate -- and the remaining 52 towns in the region were not mentioned in the warning, residents and officials in these areas could already rest comfortably during heavy rains as they are still encouraged to observe the necessary precautions, Pestaño clarified. He also renewed his call to all local chief executives in Bicol to heed the advisories on the likelihood of occurrence of geological hazards and always refer to the geo-hazard maps given to them by the MGB. The maps were prepared by the bureau under the Geohazard Mapping and Assessment Project (GMAP) implemented two years ago through a partnership between the Department of Environment and Natural Resources, MGB’s mother agency, and the Department of Social Welfare and Development. The project was designed to enable the poor and vulnerable groups, especially women and children, to prepare and cope with the impacts of disasters and various environmental emergencies, Pestaño said. All local government units (LGUs) in the region that were included in the mapping have been given copies of the maps bearing different geo-hazard themes such as landslide susceptibility, flood hazard, liquefaction potential and ground subsidence/ground settlement. LGU and barangay officials were also trained on how to use the geo-hazard maps for disaster preparedness, he added. GMAP was implemented to help Bicol achieve sound disaster risk management that requires vital information on the geographic distribution of risks. The Bicol Peninsula -- which features long coastlines, a series of volcanoes and high mountains and major rivers -- is naturally prone to geological hazards with coastal areas especially prone to coastal erosion, storm surges and sea level rise. Inasmuch as the MGB has already identified hazard areas and put it on maps, Pestaño said, it is now up to the local officials to make use of these maps in efforts to prevent loss of life and reduce damages to properties brought about by natural disasters. He explained that the maps were designed not just to anticipate disasters but also to help people adapt to the geologic effects of climate change. GMAP, he explained, makes use of remote sensing studies in identifying features that indicate unstable areas or impending physical events. With the information gathered by experts and scientists becoming more accessible today, people now know whether or not they are in safe areas and whether they need to adapt to these geographic features to avert disastrous results, Pestaño said, referring to the geo-hazard maps. interaksyon/article/64456/5-cities-55-towns-in-bicol-at-risk-from-floods-landslides-mgb
Posted on: Wed, 19 Jun 2013 22:41:03 +0000
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