The Davao City government, through the City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office, City Social Welfare and Development Office (CSWDO), City Health Office (CHO), City Engineer’s Office (CEO), Ancillary Services Unit (ASU), and all other frontline agencies, ensures assistance to flood victims and provides ways to address further damage brought about by flooding incidents in areas affected by Wednesday’s heavy rains.
CDRRMO Head Alfredo Baloran told reporters on Thursday, November 9, 2023, that the city government is not bent on declaring a state of emergency even as it aims to move forward while providing basic needs to the affected communities.
CSWDO OIC Acting administrative officer Juenalyn Pablo said that their office has initially provided hot meals to all evacuation centers and distributed 718 welfare goods and 718 hygiene kits that included blankets and pillows in Bago Gallera.
She mentioned that the kits distribution also took place on Thursday night at Isla Suerte in Barangay Bucana.
“Ang CSWDO naa karon sa lain-lain nga evacuation area. Ang opisina padayon mi sa pag validate pag house to house as to damages sa matag balay kay aduna man kita’y financial assistance nga ginahatag depende kung totally damaged ang balay or partially kana siya makuha namo sa karon nga semana kung maadtuan na namo tanan ning affected nga barangay (The CSWDO is now in different evacuation areas. Our office continues to validate and conduct house-to-house (visitations) as to damages because we have financial assistance that we distribute and it depends on the damages suffered. This information, we can get within the week after we are done visiting affecting barangays),” Pablo said.
More welfare goods are to be extended to 476 families in Bago Aplaya, the remaining families from the 1,011 families in Bago Gallera, 421 families in Baliok Talomo District, 475 families in Catalunan Pequeño, 7 families in Ma-a, 1,800 families in Talomo Proper, and 1,612 families in Matina Aplaya.
It was noted that Sto. Niño in Tugbok District and Matina Crossing are affected barangays but no family suffered much there. In total, 9 barangays were affected by the floods.
Pablo said that families whose houses were affected by the floods can avail of welfare goods, however, the financial assistance is for those validated to have suffered partially damaged houses or destroyed ones.
Based on the latest data, six houses were destroyed and four houses were partially damaged.
The three destroyed houses are located in Bago Gallera, the remaining three houses are located in Catalunan Pequeño. The four partially damaged houses are also located in Catalunan Pequeño.
Pablo said that their inventory as of Thursday evening showed that around 23 families remain on Isla Swerte, Barangay 76-A Covered Court and around 20 families remain at the Bago Galleria evacuation site.
She said that residents are only temporarily staying in the area while they conduct clean-up in their houses. The CSWDO is also using their stay at the sites to validate the number of affected families.
Apart from food, City Health Office (CHO) Assistant City Health Officer for Operations Margie Rubio said that they have put up medical assistance desks in all evacuation areas.
“We mobilized Barangay Health Workers (BHWs), barangay responders to check and assess affected individuals with injuries para ma manage nato dayon ang ilahang mga samad and at the same time ma provide dayon nato ang prophylaxis para sa atong leptospirosis. For those evacuees nga nakalimtan pud nila ang ilahang maintenance nahatag pud nato on site (We mobilized BHWS, and barangay responders to check and assess affected individuals with injuries so that their wounds would be managed immediately and at the same time, immediately provide them with prophylaxis for leptospirosis. For evacuees who forgot their maintenance, we also gave it to them on site),” Rubio said.
Rubio said that they identified three emergency responders and seven residents who got injured in the flooding incidents and they were given medical attention. The injured persons are all from Bago Gallera.
Rubio said that Doxycycline as prophylaxis for the flood victims is available at their medical assistance desk. Healthcare providers are also stationed in flooded areas and can be approached for medicines, as well as information on the proper frequency of intake.
City Environment and Natural Resources Office (CENRO) Head Engr. Marivic Reyes said their office collected a large volume of debris from the floods. As a way forward, she said they were to collect fallen trees and garbage.
“Padayon mi sa pagkolekta sa mga kahoy nga matumba during sa kusog nga hangin sa mga nahitabo nga mga kusog nga ulan and hangin and we continue also the collection of mga disaster waste na sulod sa establishmento and pakusgan namo ang implementation, enforcement and adbokasiya with regards to the management of our solid waste to mitigate the risks sa flooding (We continue to collect fallen trees due to strong winds and in the heavy rains and we continue the collection of the disaster waste inside establishments and strengthen the implementation, enforcement, and advocacy with regards to the management of our solid waste to mitigate the risks during flooding),” Reyes said.
City Engineer’s Office Officer-In-Charge Joseph Dominic Felizarta said that their office conducted an inspection and came up with interventions or engineering measures that they will recommend, especially to national government agencies, as it will require big funds as it involves rivers.
Among the engineering measures they have come up with and recommended for funding by the national government is the increase in height by two meters of the gabions from the creeks that overflowed.
“Naa ta’ existing four creeks leading down to Bago Aplaya River, tungod sa long hours niya na ulan heavy downpour, nag cause ni sya og accumulated waters nga nag overflow mao tong nagabaha (We have existing four creeks leading down to Bago Aplaya river, because of the long hours of heavy downpour, this caused accumulated water and have overflown which caused the flood),” Felizarta said, adding that this explains the high-level flooding in some areas for the first time.
He also added that they have noted the constriction of canals that caused the street floodings at McArthur Highway Matina, Tulip Drive and they recommended changing some culverts in the said areas into box culverts that can hold more water compared to RCDG pipes.
“An Emergency meeting will also be conducted with the Task Force Drainage para mag-conduct pud mi’g joint inspection with other agencies involved sa Task Force (An Emergency meeting will also be conducted with the Task Force Drainage for us to conduct a joint inspection with other agencies involved in the Task Force),” Felizarta said.
Ancillary Services Unit Head Paul Bermejo said that their office conducted debris cleaning in densely populated areas such as Samantha Homesa and from Gallera de Oro to Bago Aplaya. However, they continue to conduct drainage clean up in regular flood-prone areas in Davao City.
Baloran, meanwhile, warned that in experiencing weather changes, Dabawenyos, especially those who are located near creeks and rivers, should stay alert and conduct pre-emptive evacuation should it be advised. CIO
