GSO directed to collect wastes before typhoons land in city

Mayor Benjamin Magalong has directed concerned departments to collect wastes two days before a typhoon hits as part of the city’s preparations for the typhoon season.
This is to avoid clogging of canals and drainages and prevent flooding as experienced before.
“Let’s also make it our best practice so spare us from the flooding problem which can be prevented by proactive measures,” the mayor said.
He also reminded residents to religiously observe proper waste disposal to avoid complications brought about by irresponsible and indiscriminate throwing of refuse.
The mayor who chairs the City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council has advocated for enhancement of the city’s disaster preparedness and management including on typhoons as part of his 16-point agenda.
The CDRRMC recently adopted a contingency plan on hydrometeorological hazards to include typhoons, floods, droughts and landslides.
CDRRM Officer-in-Charge Antonette Anaban said the plan’s goal is to provide a timely and coordinated response through efficient use of resources during hydrometeorological hazards to minimize humanitarian, economic and environmental consequences in the city, she said.     
It targets pre-emptive evacuation to the vulnerable population; implement response mechanism in all disaster-stricken areas through immediate conduct of search, rescue, retrieval to ensure life preservation; establish law and order in affected areas; provision of social protection services to all internally displaced persons established at the barangay level; and ensure safety of all responders;
To establish efficient communication and linkage among CDRRMC member agencies and stakeholders; conduct of rapid disaster assessment and needs analysis in affected areas; to activate the emergency operations center, incident management team, response clusters and ensuring coordination and interoperability to anticipate hydrometeorological disaster; to institutionalize the standard operating procedure set by the national DRRMC and regional DRRMC, are the other objectives.
The plan also has response arrangements including activation, deactivation and non-activation protocols, Anaban said. – Aileen P. Refuerzo