OCD-Caraga intensifies monitoring of region’s disaster-prone areas

Thursday 12th of January 2012

BUTUAN CITY, Jan. 12 (PIA) -- With the continuous pouring of rains here lately, the Office of Civil Defense (OCD)-Caraga is intensifying its monitoring of disaster-prone areas.

This developed after the series of disasters that have been happening in the country particularly in the neighboring regions of Caraga.

According to OCD-Caraga Regional Director Dr. Blanche Gobenciong, this must be undertaken so that residents in these areas will be regularly monitored and thus, they will be advised what to do in order to prevent casualties.

Gobenciong said the national government is aiming for a zero casualty every time a disaster is happening. “Thus, this is one way of supporting this objective of the government,” she added.

With this, the official said they are seriously monitoring these disaster-prone areas so that the tragedies happened in Northern and Southern Mindanao regions will not happen here in Caraga Region.

Specifically, Dr. Gobenciong said areas near bodies of water like rivers are given priority in monitoring especially that the city here is a river basin of the Agusan River for which tributaries of it are the Davao River and Bukidnon River, among others.

“Lately, nakakaranas tayo ng mga pag-ulan dito sa ating rehiyon kaya pinag-igting namin ang pagmo-monitor sa mga disaster-prone areas tulad na lamang sa mga lugar malapit sa Agusan River kung saan base sa mga nagdaang pagbaha dito, malaki ang napinsalang kabahayan at ari-arian dahil nag-overflow na ang ilog. (Lately, we have experienced continuous rains here in Caraga Region so we have strengthened the monitoring of disaster-prone areas such as those in the riverbanks in Agusan River here wherein based on the previous floodings, more houses and properties were affected because the river had swollen and overflowed.)" Gobenciong said.

Since Agusan River is considered one of the longest and biggest rivers in Mindanao, it is very risky to residents along the riverbank by the time the river will overflow which caused massive floodings, it was gathered.

The initiative that is being undertaken by the agency is a manifestation of support to Disaster Management as one of the highlights presented in the Caraga Regional Development Plan under the Aquino Administration. (PIA-Caraga)