Mayor Benjamin Magalong directed the barangays to keep an inventory of dead or leaning trees or trees with overhanging branches in their areas of jurisdiction for concerned city offices to address as calamity mitigating measure.
The mayor said during the onslaught of Typhoon Paeng, which unleashed strong winds, most of the incidents responded to were fallen or leaning trees or branches, and the experience should remind all those involved in disaster management including the barangays to adopt a more proactive stance.
“During the (typhoon), the city’s disaster risk reduction and management teams were on constant high alert to respond to felled trees and downed power lines with most reports coming directly from affected residents,” the mayor noted in Memorandum 155-2022.
“As a mitigating action for prolonged inclement weather, all barangays are reminded to take necessary actions to mitigate any further risk to the safety, security and comfort of constituents,” he added.
“Henceforth, all barangays are directed to conduct a survey of snags, dead trees, and low hanging branches that are in danger of causing damage to nearby roads or infrastructure or injury to persons located within the immediate vicinity,” the mayor directed.
He said the reports from the barangays should specify the location and pictures of the trees and must be submitted to the City Environment and Parks Management Office for immediate cutting, pruning, or any other intervention.
Magalong also urged barangay officials to be more active in reporting hazards during typhoons and other calamities in their areas of jurisdiction.
“This would facilitate quick response on emergency situations and would give residents the sense of security they need during calamities,” the mayor said.
The mayor thanked the residents for directly reporting concerns to various offices of the city government as he encouraged them to also engage with their barangay heads to ensure speedy coordination.
The city through its various reporting channels received numerous concerns at the height of Typhoon Paeng.
Most of the incidents were fallen or leaning trees and damaged utility posts due to the strong winds caused by the weather disturbance. – Aileen P. Refuerzo
