Acting Pagasa Mactan chief Alfredo Quiblat Jr. gives weather updates to Cebu Gov. Hilario Davide lll during the Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction Management Council meeting. (CDN PHOTO/LITO TECSON)
METRO Cebu and municipal governments should expedite their garbage disposal efforts to avoid worse flooding in the coming months, the Mactan office of the state weather bureau Pagasa said yesterday.
In yesterday’s 2nd quarter Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction Management Council meeting, acting Pagasa Mactan chief Alfredo Quiblat Jr. said it was the garbage that worsened the flooding last July 1 because it clogged the drainage systems.
“The main reason why there were floods is because of the trash, and I think the high volume of rainfall coincided with the high tide. So the water from the ocean met with the water from the sea,” Quiblat said in Cebuano.
Quiblat said Cebu experienced 300 millimeters (mm) of rainfall in the past few weeks, which is above the 202 mm their office projected.
He said the sea surface temperature is also negative 0.4 degrees Celsius which is close to the negative 0.5 degrees Celsius threshold of La Niña.
Quiblat said based on these findings, there could be a weak La Niña before the end of the week.
Cebu Gov. Hilario Davide III said the province should redouble its efforts to prevent flooding by constructing drainage in water-logged areas, providing vehicles for emergency response and stockpiling on food and medicines.
He said long-term plans include setting up a Quick Response Fund (QRF), build disaster-resilient shelters and rehabilitate road systems.
Fr. Charles Jayme, head of the Risk and Rehabilitation Unit (RRU) of the Cebu Archdiocese, said they will also help barangays to be proactive in disaster preparation and management.
He said they are conducting disaster management programs in San Remigio, Medellin, Daanbantayan and Sta. Fe towns and Bogo City.
The Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction Management Council (PDRRMC) also passed a resolution asking the Provincial Board to authorize Governor Davide to realign funds from the province’s Preparedness Funds (PF) to the quick response fund.
The provincial government still has P83 million PF as of this time. The PDRRMC also sought funding worth P195.5 million and P315.5 million for both short-term and long-term action plans in dealing with El Niño and La Niña respectively./Ateneo de Manila University Intern Maria Lelaina R. Cardeño and UP Cebu Intern Morexette Marie Erram