• CHERYL G. CRUZ
All 61 barangays of Bacolod have been urged by the Sangguniang Panlungsod to map flood-prone routes within their areas, with focus on paths commonly used by students walking to and from school.
“Many learners walk to school and are highly exposed to risks during sudden rains and flooding,” the SP said in approving a resolution authored by Councilor Em Ang. “The timely identification of flood-prone streets and pedestrian routes at the barangay level will help parents, teachers, and learners choose safer paths and allow barangays to prioritize assistance.”
Barangays are urged to disseminate the identified routes to schools, Parent-Teacher Associations, and parents, and to post advisories in strategic locations during the rainy weather.
The resolution also called on barangays to submit their flood-prone route maps to the City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office and the DepEd Schools Division of Bacolod for consolidation and city-wide safety advisories.
Bacolod and Negros, among other areas, have been experiencing heavy downpour since yesterday, due to Typhoon Francisco.
The center of the eye of the typhoon was estimated, based on all available data, at 330 km east of Calayan, Cagayan, with maximum sustained winds of 175 km/h near the center, gustiness of up to 215 km/h, and central pressure of 940 hPa, per the latest weather bulletin. | CGC
