The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) placed its operations center on ‘red alert’ as it convened a response cluster meeting on Monday to discuss relief missions for residents affected by the southwest monsoon rains or ‘habagat’ and tropical storm “Carina.”
On Sunday, the NDRRMC said that its executive arm, the Office of Civil Defense (OCD), met with different agencies to prepare for disaster response measures and specific actions to mitigate the impact of the weather disturbances.
According to the OCD, they have constantly reminded the public in affected areas to take precautionary measures and obey advisories from authorities in light of the heavy downpour caused by ‘habagat’ and storm ‘Carina,’ which may result in severe flooding and landslides.
“The different regional DRRMCs are implementing identified emergency preparedness and response protocols during the recent meetings,” the OCD said.
Meanwhile, the Western Mindanao Command (WesMinCom), through the Office of Assistant Chief of Unified Command Staff for Civil-Military Operations (CMO) facilitated on Friday a relief operation to the victims of heavy rainfalls and flash floods from Barangay Pamucutan, Zamboanga City.
WesMinCom Public Information Office acting chief Maj. Orlando Ayllon said Pamucutan was one of the barangays in Zamboanga City that was severely affected by the recent onslaught of ‘habagat.’
“In times like this, a unified effort is deemed necessary to provide the maximum help to the victims of the natural calamity. Let us continue to pray for the safety of one another and may we remain resilient and optimistic despite the challenges we encounter” said WesMinCom chief Lt. Gen. William Gonzales.
