LUCENA CITY—Mayor Rhoderick “Dondon” Alcala urged city and barangay officials here to get ready and be alert in time of disaster and calamity during the launching on Thursday of Oplan Listo, a disaster-preparedness drive spearheaded by the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council and the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG).
Alcala, along with regional directors Vicente Tomasar of the Office of Civil Defense and Josephine Castilla-Go of the DILG, city Councilors Benny Brizuela, Vic Paulo, Sunshine Abcede, Amer Lacerna and officials from the city’s 33 barangays signed the symbolic leaf to the Commitment Tree board during project’s launching.
The signed symbolic leaf in the Commitment Tree would signify their pledge to the commitment for disaster preparedness before, during and after the occurrence of any natural or man-made disaster or calamity like typhoon, earthquake, flood or fire.
Alcala, chairman of the City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (CDRRMC), urged the city and barangay officials to take effective antidisaster measures and tasks in their areas of responsibility to assure potential investors that the city is safe from disasters.
An audio-visual presentation made by Anacleto Alcala Jr., city government administrator and action officer of the CDRRMC, showed some of the areas in the city susceptible to storm surge like barangays Salinas, Barra, Ransuhan, Talao-Talao and Mayao Castillo and the vulnerable Iyam and Dumacaa rivers that caused flooding in 1995 and 2006 typhoons.
P27 million has been allocated for disaster mitigation this year by the city government which has ordered continuous declogging and cleaning of canals and culverts, planting of more than 10,000 mangroves along river shorelines, issuance of two fiberglass boats and rescue vehicles to 11 barangays and conduct of lectures and fire and earthquake drills in private schools and at the City Hall, Alcala Jr. said.
Urging local officials to give priority to disaster concerns, Tomasar said Oplan Listo will serve as a guide to the local city and barangay disaster council officials in the preparation, response and monitoring of calamities.
He said that a predisaster risk assessment must first be undertaken before the declaration of Alpha, Bravo or Charlie alert levels during typhoons.
A disaster-preparedness manual will be distributed by the DILG to the mayors who will have a disaster check list for early preparation and a tropical cyclone information board set up for the public.
Alcala, Go and Tomasar also led in the symbolic turnover of the Oplan Listo manual and paraphernalia to the CDRRMC. Among the rescue tools and gadgets turned over to the city disaster council are handheld radios, rescue buoys, fire extinguishers, rubber boots, helmets and rescue ropes among others.
By John Bello / Correspondent