1 month ago
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BACOLOD CITY — The Office of Civil Defense (OCD) is conducting an inventory of vacant housing units in six cities and two towns in northern Negros Occidental for possible evacuation sites in case of another Kanlaon Volcano eruption.
Raul Fernandez, OCD regional director and Task Force Kanlaon commander, said on Friday that he has talked with local government units in northern Negros Occidental where there are Yolanda housing projects of the National Housing Authority (NHA).
Fernandez said that these housing projects are located in Silay City, EB Magalona, Victorias City, Cadiz City, Sagay City and Escalante City.
Also being considered is the regional evacuation center in Brgy. Vista Alegre in Bacolod City as possible evacuation sites, he added.
An inventory of unoccupied houses in the villages put up by the NHA that can temporarily be used by the evacuees.
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Some of the unoccupied houses have already been awarded to recipients and cannot be used, Fernandez pointed out.
Many of the units were built for victims of Super Typhoon Yolanda and there are some that are still unoccupied houses, he added.
He said that a memorandum of agreement between the cities of Bago and Talisay will also be signed to also accommodate evacuees in case Alert Level 4 is raised in Kanlaon Volcano.
Fernandez admitted that the available housing units in Negros Occidental are still not enough to accommodate all the evacuees.
He also identified the city of Himamaylan as the "immediate relocation site" for evacuees, particularly those from La Castellana, with Himamaylan National High School serving as a key evacuation center.
In La Castellana, Mayor Alme Rhummylan Nicor Mangilimutan reported that 37,000 residents would be evacuated if Alert Level 4 is raised in Kanlaon.
A tent city for displaced La Castellana residents is being established in Himamaylan City.
Farmers have been given a window time to return to their farms within the permanent danger zone of Kanlaon to harvest their crops.
Donato Sermeno, chief of OCD-Negros Island Region, said that police officers are guarding the danger zone to prevent residents from sneaking into the area.
