Quick response team gears up for rainy season

Aside from closely monitoring the weather, especially with the onset of the rainy season, to quickly respond to emergencies, the Quick Response Team (QRT) of the Cebu City Disaster Risk Reduction Management Office is also coordinating with barangay officials to prevent a repeat of the incident in the Biasong River in the mountain barangay of Bonbon in Cebu City where two children drowned.

Harold Alcontin of the QRT said that they already reminded officials of Barangay Bonbon that tanods should closely monitor the area where the incident happened.

“We are encouraging barangays, especially those with deep standing water, to monitor their areas because it’s almost the rainy season, and children usually play in those areas,” he said in Cebuano.

He said that it is difficult to monitor the upland barangays because they do not have control there, and that is why it is important that barangay officials monitor their areas of responsibility.

He also assured yesterday that they are already on stand by especially for the coming rainy season.

“Our template, if there is no rain yet, is to always check our areas of responsibility and to put our people on standby, and to closely monitor the weather,” Alcontin said in Cebuano.

He, however, also cited their lack of a breathing apparatus for their rescue operations.

“What we have are rescue equipment for vehicular accidents because those are the incidents with high statistics,” he said in Cebuano.

He said the QRT will recommend to the new administration to provide them with a breathing apparatus.

Acting Cebu City Mayor Margarita “Margot” Osmeña said they should first present a proposal on how to use the budget for disaster.

“If they can comply and give a proposal on how to use the disaster funds, then there will be no problem. That’s why it’s called preparedness; they are supposed to prepare,” Osmeña said in Cebuano.