The Negros Occidental Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council Emergency Operations Center (PDRRMC EOC) alert status has been raised to blue, effective immediately, in anticipation of heavy rains brought on by the Southwest Monsoon enhanced by Tropical Cyclone “Inday.”
“A Blue Alert is raised when a threat is identified but has not yet made a full impact. It is used for slow-onset hazards or when a situation has the potential to escalate,” Irene Bel Ploteña, Negros Occidental PDRRMO head, said this afternoon.
Concurrently, with the prevailing Alert Level 2 (intensified unrest) over Kanlaon Volcano, the red alert status at the PDRRMC EOC shall remain in effect for close monitoring and coordination, she said.
The Office of Civil Defense reported that heavy rains triggered evacuations on Tuesday evening in La Castellana (16 families) and Pontevedra (5 families) in Negros Occidental, as well as in Canlaon City, Negros Oriental (57 families).
Although the sun was out on Wednesday, heavy rains are still expected in southern and central Negros from the evening until Wednesday night, Ploteña said.
A yellow rainfall warning has also been raised over Negros Occidental, she added.
A Yellow Alert under the weather bureau’s system means heavy rainfall (7.5 to 15 mm per hour) is expected to continue, serving as a notice for communities to stay aware and monitor the situation as flooding remains possible in low-lying areas.*
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