• CHERYL G. CRUZ
Floodwaters rose anew in downtown Bacolod and several other areas prone to flooding following heavy rainfall last night, Oct. 9, due to Tropical Storm “Quedan” and the Low Pressure Area, with several residents trapped and needing rescue.
Knee to waist-deep floodwaters were reported along Barangay Mandalagan, particularly in Purok Carvi, along Lacson Street, Araneta-Magsaysay area, corner Alijis-Araneta, and barangays Villamonte, Taculing, and 20.
The Bacolod Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office said that, as of 10 p.m. last night, 10 barangays were being monitored with reports of flooding, although several of these were still being verified.
These included barangays 3, 9, 12, 17, 20, Banago, Mandalagan, Montevista, Taculing, and Vilamonte.
Three DRRMO emergency response vehicles were deployed, and the 24/7 Emergency Operations Center has been activated, as part of the disaster preparedness and response, it added.
The Bureau of Fire Protection emergency response and rescue, Barangay Taculing Red Panther EMS and rescue, and the Negros Tigers Rescue Group likewise mobilized and assisted in the rescue of trapped or stranded residents.
The city’s Public Information Office page, meanwhile, posted that, as of 11:37 p.m., floodwaters in Purok Isla, Brgy. Villamonte already subsided, but 78 residents were evacuated to the Isla Elementary School.
As of 11:49 p.m., there was no report of evacuee/s in Barangay Mandalagan, and the water level of the Mandalagan River also started to go down. “Stay alert, updated, and safe,” the city stressed. | CGC
