DESPITE activating the early warning siren and enforcing evacuations, some residents near the Davao River refused to leave their homes.
“Naay uban na magdumili gyud mulikas sa ilang balay kay siyempre wala pa daw ang tubig. Ang ilang rason kay kung naa na ang tubig usa pa sila muhawa (There are still individuals who refuse to vacate as the water has not yet reached their homes. They said that they will only evacuate once the water entered their houses),” City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (CDRRMO) head Alfredo Baluran said in an interview with SunStar Davao Thursday, January 24.
At around 10 p.m. on Wednesday evening, the CDRRMO activated the siren after the water level at the Davao River started rising.
CDRRMO and Central 911 operation officer Rodrigo Bustillo said they have been closely monitoring the Davao River, Bunawan River and Lasang River which were in code red or critical status which prompted the advice for force or assisted evacuation of the residents.
Barangays have prepared the evacuation area for the families, assisted by the police forces and even trained volunteers of the Barangay Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Center (BDRRMC). The city government, through the City Social Services and Development Office (CSSDO) Ugnayan Center, has activated its mobile kitchen to provide food for the evacuees.
Despite the effort to prevent flood casualties in the city, there are still residents who are stubborn, ignoring early warnings and advice on evacuation by the authorities.
Baluran further said they hope that the public will listen and be responsive to their advice as these will be for their safety.
“We do not want this to happen again. There was an instance where people refused to evacuate because the water level was still low. A few minutes later they called us to report that they needed rescue because the flood was already at neck-level,” Baluran said.
In terms of rescue personnel, Bustillo admitted that the city does not have enough personnel during worst case scenarios but they have enough personnel for information dissemination.
He added that with the lack of personnel for rescue operations, people should cooperate and not make things harder for them before it is still not too late.
Meanwhile, the Office of the Civil Defense (OCD) Davao Regional Director Manuel Luis Ochotorena said in an interview with SunStar Davao Thursday that there are areas that tapped the military to force evacuate the residents even if the water level was not critical yet.
He suggested that maybe the local government could replicate this to avoid greater harm especially if the constituents continue to ignore evacuation advisories.
“This is a challenge to the local government. They should be able to make them understand that there is an imminent danger so they should evacuate,” Ochotorena said.
“Balik-balik naman ni nga scenario but the psyche of the Filipino people is kung dili mahitaboan dili gyud maminaw (These are repeating scenarios and the psyche of the Filipinos is they will not leave unless the worst happens to them). These are just things that we need to change,” he added.