• GILBERT P. BAYORAN
All local disaster risk reduction and management offices and councils in Negros Occidental are adopting the blue alert status from Dec. 31 to Jan. 1 in view of the New Year celebration.
In a memorandum, Governor Eugenio Jose Lacson, who chairs the Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council, also activated the code white status in provincial government hospitals and related facilities, wherein all manpower are ready to respond to any emergency situation.
Irene Bel Ploteña, head of the Provincial Disaster Management Program Division, yesterday said that they have been observing the blue alert status since Dec. 24.
“Blue alert” requires 50 percent of concerned personnel to be in their posts at any time.
Ploteña said the province’s 18 ambulances have been prepositioned in different areas to immediately respond to any kind of emergency while the Emergency Operations Center and the 911 emergency hotline are open 24/7 to respond and call for help from the local government units.
Ploteña said that based on records, many vehicular accidents that occur during Christmas Day involve food delivery riders.
She described their response as “pre- hospital” as they are coordinating their operations with the different hospitals in Negros Occidental.
All vacation leaves of disaster response personnel, who are reporting on 24/7 duty shifts, have been cancelled. | GB
