The new year 2021 has already seen two intense flash floods ravage the northern cities of Negros Occidental, namely Talisay City, Silay City, and Victorias City, with more than 17, 000 residents affected by the calamity. Not long after, the Sangunniang Panlungsod of Victorias and Talisay placed the city under a state of calamity as 19 barangays of the LGU were inundated with floods during the early morning hours of last January 1, 2021, aimed at allocating calamity funds by the respective cities towards affected families.
Meanwhile, the second wave of flash floods occurred exactly one week later on January 8, 2021 following non-stop torrential downpour across the northern part of the island, with waters reportedly rising quickly during the late afternoon all the way until the evening, amidst residents still recovering from the first wave of floods that hit the cities.
Calls for rescues from residents stranded by floods rung across social media as floods intensified throughout the northwestern part of the island.
According to Keveen Gaitan of the Negrosanon Youth Leaders Inc., a youth non-profit leaders organization, food packs, ready to eat food times, hygeine materials, and clothes are the impending needs of the thousands of families affected by the flashfloods. Furthermore, he added there were an estimated 7 evacuations in Talisay City, and one formal evacuation area in the Our Lady of Victory Parish Church Coliseum and Culutral Center, with others at outside a shopping mall or the bus terminal.
The Disaster Risk Management Office stated that heavy rain caused flooding in several parts of the cities due to clogged waterways and overflowing creeks. Mayors of both Victorias and Talisay have announced further dredging operations.
Victorias City
During the first rounds of flash floods, a total of 9,028 families were affected by the first round of flash floods in the city, with 46 houses destroyed, 183 houses damaged, and the death of Barangay 6-A resident Ramil Panes. Meanwhile, the City Agriculture Office estimated a P4.3 million damage to crops, livestock, and fisheries.
On January 8, 2021, a second round of flash floods saw residents scramming to evacuate as water levels rose quickly; some stating that floods reached over their heads. Victoriahanons were also seen stranded at makeshift evacuation centers in CityMall and the Ceres Bus terminal. People crowded and are left stranded due to roads still submerged and unusable until this morning. As of reporting (January 9, 2021), the flood waters have not yet subsided in the city, with entire barangays underwater.
The nearby Cadiz City Fire Station and Philippine Coast Guards coordinated rescue operations and continued such at various barangays of Victorias City until the afternoon of January 9, 2021.
Meanwhile, on the morning before the second round of intense flooding, Mayor Francis of Victorias City launched the Maintenance Dredging Project of the Carugiat Creek, Malihaw, Magnanod Rivers, stating this will be a solution to the City’s long-standing difficulty with floods. Environmentalists disagree with such and state it is merely a temporary and unsustainable solution.
Talisay City
According to the Talisay CDRRMO via Negros Now Daily, 4,461 families were affected by New Year’s Day’s flash floods in 17 barangays, with 21 houses destroyed, and 244 others damaged. Barangay Zone 3 residents beside Catabla River were reportedly the hardest hit, with the majority of residents being informal settlers residing along waterways.
As of 5:45 pm, January 8, 2021, the Bureau of Fire Protection in Talisay City was already conducting water level monitoring for the possible rise of floods especially to those near rivers and flood-prone areas. Not long after the local PNP authorities called unto puroks and barangays to evacuate early as water started rising throughout the city, with residents shuttled to covered courts, chapels, barangay halls, and evacuation facilities later in the evening.
The Talisay Fire Station conducted further rescue operations to trapped residents of Barangay Zone 8 Minuluan Bridge and Zone 10 Kabulakan, with 9 individuals rescued including a 4 year old boy rushed towards the nearest evacuation center.
Throughout the city, homes were once again damaged or completely destroyed, with murky silt like waters turning entire barangays into swamps, as roads were seen to have completely collapsed. Adrian Pietros of GMA Regional TV reported of residents cleaning up rubble in Zone 3, Talisay City; with locals fearing that the crack may further widen and render their houses inaccessible.
Later that day, Mayor Lizares announced that a dredger had been brought by the Provincial Government of Negros Occidental to conduct expedited dredging of river systems in the city.
Silay City
At around 6 pm on January 8, 2021, the Silay City Disaster Risk Reduction & Management Office reported of possible flooding due to nonstop rain via their Facebook social media page. An hour later, the Negros Occidental Provincial Disaster Management reported that Barangays Hawaiian, E. Lopez, and Mambulak were affect in Silay City and pre-emptive evacuation of 10 individuals were underway.
Flood waters increased drastically soon after with various Silaynons calling for evacuation help, with waters reaching the waist at 9:00 pm. Strong currents were seen obliterating riverbanks in the report of Adrian Prietos – GMA Bacolod in Sitio Pulo Tambulong, Hacienda Malisbog Uno, Barangay Hawaiian, as well as collapsed houses and scattered debris throughout local puroks and barangays in the area.
Mayor Mark J. Golez announced that 131 families containing 505 individuals were evacuated at the Civic Center of Silay City as of 12:30 am. The Mayor’s office also announced relief operations were underway later that day.
Paghimutad 