BALER, Philippines – Elements of the 56th Infantry “Tatag” Battalion of the Philippine Army, Baler Police Station, Bureau of Fire Protection and the Municipal Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (MDRRMO) conducted Sunday a joint rescue operation for residents stranded by floodwaters from weekend rains in Sitio Gabgab, Barangay Buhangin in this capital of Aurora province.
MDRRMO chief Gabriel Llave repeatedly called on residents in low-lying areas of Baler to take precautions and call out to government teams making the rounds to help people evacuate to higher ground.
The weekend rains that had inundated several barangays just days after typhoon Ramil damaged over a million pesos worth of crops had eased about 3:30pm Sunday.
Despite the rains easing, Llave said all disaster units remained on high alert over the possibility that waters rushing down the mountains may suddenly swamp low-lying sites in the capital.
At least 38 individuals are housed in evacuation centers at the barangay hall, chapel and health center of Barangay Buhangin.
An additional five families, meanwhile, were also rescued from flood-swamped Barangay Reserva.
Earlier, guests at 10 resorts in Barangay Sabang in this scenic tourists’ favorite were isolated after provincial authorities used a loader Sunday afternoon to create a path to divert floodwaters that were swamping several other villages: in Sitio Gabgab, in Buhangin, Pingit, Suklayin and Calabuanan (Setan).
According to Municipal Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office Chief Llave, the step was taken to arrest the steady rise of floodwaters.
Officials imposed forcible evacuation of the hotel guests.
In one area, people could not cross into Sabangan for fear of being swamped by rampaging waters from Pudok River flowing into the sea.
The loader from the provincial capitol was used to rescue them.
