Goring worst to hit Iloilo City since 2008

ENSURING SAFETY Policemen and emergency responders, in this photo taken on Tuesday, help evacuate residents of Barangay Sooc in Arevalo district as floods hit a large part of Iloilo City.—PHOTO COURTESY OF ILOILO CITY CDRRMO-URBAN SEARCH AND RESCUE

By: Carla Gomez, Joey Marzan - @inquirerdotnetInquirer Visayas / 05:04 AM August 31, 2023

ILOILO CITY, Iloilo, Philippines — Floodwaters about a meter high greeted residents here at the beginning of the week due to heavy rains accompanying Typhoon Goring (international name: Saola).

According to the City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (CDRRMO), 90 of 180 barangays in the city remained flooded as of Wednesday. These include 24 in Jaro district, 16 in Mandurriao district, 13 in City Proper, 10 each in La Paz and Molo districts, and five in Lapuz.

The highest flood levels reached 38 inches, or almost a meter, which were logged in the Barangay Cuartero on Monday and Camalig village on Tuesday.

The city logged a total rainfall volume of 356 millimeters from Aug. 1 to Aug. 30, with 256 mm attributed to Goring.

A total of 6,072 families (23,260 people) from 58 barangays were reported to have been affected as of 8 a.m. on Wednesday, with 16,751 people from 47 villages forced to evacuate.

In a statement, Mayor Jerry Treñas described Goring as the “most severe” to hit the city since Typhoon Frank (Fengshen) in June 2008.

“More than 12,000 [people] were at the evacuation centers as of 12 noon [on Aug. 29]. I thank the [City Social Welfare and Development Office] for making sure everyone had enough food. I also thank all Ilonggos who contributed food … for the evacuees,” he said.

Treñas on Wednesday asked representatives from the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH), the Department of Environment and Natural Resources, the government weather bureau, the academic community, and experts in other fields to sit down with local governments in Iloilo province to discuss the recent flooding.

“For the first time in Iloilo City, areas which were not previously flooded experienced intense flooding. We should study the situation seriously so that we can prevent similar occurrences in the future. Projects of the DPWH in the future should be able to prevent the same to preclude damage to property and worst, loss of lives,” the mayor said.

“On our part, we need to intensify our efforts for tree planting, conversion to renewable energy, bigger drainage systems, more pumping stations, more cisterns, more rainwater harvesting facilities, and other measures,” he added.

Meanwhile, the Bureau of Fire Protection stationed in the southern Iloilo town of San Joaquin advised against the use of the Antique-Iloilo Mountain Road connecting to Hamtic town in Antique after a typhoon-related landslide was reported in the area on Aug. 28.

Situation in Negros

A Philippine Information Agency advisory asked travelers to use instead the Antique-Iloilo Coastal Road connecting San Joaquin to Anini-y, Antique.

In Negros Occidental, the provincial government said typhoon-related losses in agriculture, fisheries and livestock in the province and Bacolod City reached at least P115 million.

Reports from the Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council said 25,709 families (82,594 people) were affected by flooding in 10 towns and six cities in Negros Occidental as of 5 p.m. Tuesday.

Among the areas hit by heavy rain and floods were the cities of Bago, Himamaylan, Silay, San Carlos, Valladolid, La Carlota, Binalbagan and Talisay; and the towns of Pulupandan, San Enrique, Pontevedra, Murcia, Hinigaran, Isabela, La Castellana and EB Magalona.

Classes in 26 Negros Occidental localities and work in government offices in 14 towns and cities were suspended on Tuesday.

Joe Recalex Alingasa Jr., disaster risk reduction and management officer of San Carlos City, advised motorists using Eco Translink Highway to be on alert as their initial assessment and monitoring of the upper portion of this road showed there were signs of an active landslide or rockslide caused by high saturation of water along its steep slopes.

Two landslides were also reported in Don Salvador Benedicto town.

In Bacolod City, at least 31 villages were hit by floods, affecting 2,644 families (8,642 people). Reports said at least 6,781 residents were staying in evacuation centers.

Read more: https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1824314/goring-worst-to-hit-iloilo-city-since-2008#ixzz8Bvh1u8mB

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Going to Iloilo City? Then, keep your masks on.

By: Joey Marzan - @inquirerdotnet

PANDEMIC HEROES Young artists commissioned by the Iloilo City government in 2020 honor COVID-19 front-liners through colorful murals along the city’s main streets. Mayor Jerry Treñas has reimposed the policy on mask wearing at City Hall amid the increase in COVID cases in the city. —PHOTO COURTESY OF ARNOLD ALMACEN/ILOILO CITY MAYOR’S OFFICE

ILOILO CITY—Mayor Jerry Treñas has reimposed a policy requiring all employees and visitors to wear face masks inside City Hall starting April 11.

Treñas said cases of COVID-19 in Iloilo City increased recently, although hospital utilization rates remained low since most of the cases were considered mild.

Earlier, several visitors, including those from national and regional government agencies, were not allowed to enter City Hall because they did not wear masks.

“We have once again required the wearing of face masks inside Iloilo City Hall. Face masks will only ensure that infection will not increase in closed areas while continuing with the services of the city,” Treñas said.

On March 30, Treñas contracted COVID-19 and was admitted to a hospital the following day. He underwent home quarantine and was able to report back to work only last Tuesday.

On Oct. 28 last year, President Marcos issued Executive Order No. 7 allowing the voluntary wearing of face masks in indoor and outdoor settings. The order also reiterated the continued implementation of minimum public health standards amid the pandemic.

Hospitalization rate low

The Iloilo City Health Office (Icho) said at least 37 COVID-19 cases were recorded in the city from April 1 to April 12. The number was already more than half of the 44 cases logged in March.

Records from the Regional Epidemiology and Surveillance Unit of the Department of Health (DOH) in Western Visayas showed that the city logged 34 cases in January, 23 cases in February, 44 cases in March, and 26 from April 1 to April 10.

Treñas said the city needed to reimpose some policies to prevent another surge in COVID cases.

“COVID positives are increasing. It is important that we ensure our economic recovery is not derailed. The use of face masks is important to minimize infection,” he said.

Dr. Bea Camille Natalaray, chief of the Infectious Diseases Unit of the DOH Western Visayas Center for Health Development, said COVID hospitalization rates remained low in the region, citing the latest data showing that of 2,012 beds intended for COVID patients, only 384 or 19.09 percent were being used.

Dr. Roland Jay Fortuna, Icho’s COVID-19 coordinator, on Wednesday said the spike in cases might have been caused by mass gatherings as well as the closure of testing centers during the Holy Week.

Fortuna urged people to continue practicing minimum public health standards—physical distancing, observing cough etiquette, proper and constant washing of hands, and wearing face masks regardless of vaccination status—in places of work and recreation.

No surge in Davao

In Davao City, the head of Mindanao’s largest COVID-19 facility allayed fears over the recently reported rise of COVID-19 cases in the Davao Region but clarified that it was not a surge and that the facility had enough rooms to accommodate patients.

Dr. Ricardo Audan, chief of the Southern Philippines Medical Center (SPMC), said that although the hospital saw an increase in COVID-19 positivity rate among patients admitted in the past week, the number had since stabilized.

Audan said the positivity rate of patients admitted at SPMC had climbed from only 9 percent on April 2 to 12 percent on April 3 and peaked as high as 17 and 18 percent last week. This dropped to 11 percent this week.

He also assured that the hospital still had enough rooms to accommodate patients as only 50 percent of existing intensive care unit (ICU) beds were occupied while 70 percent of non-ICU beds were being used.

“In the past week, there was an increase in the COVID-19 cases in the hospital but it was not a surge,” Audan said. “In fact, that was what can be expected following the crowd-drawing events such as the Ironman, the Araw ng Dabaw previous to that, and the recent observance of the Holy Week. But fortunately, the positivity rate has gone down to 11 percent,” he added.

The DOH noted a total of 339 COVID-19 patients admitted in the region’s hospitals as of April 10.

Of the total, only 26 were considered severe and critical. Of the 339 patients, 223 were new cases recorded from April 3 to April 9.

“We’re still in a pandemic. We should continue wearing masks since we could no longer impose physical distancing,” said Audan. —WITH A REPORT FROM GERMELINA LACORTE

Read more: https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/?p=1756144#ixzz7yp3kEUU4

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