Butuan City placed under state of calamity

BUTUAN CITY – The Butuan City government has placed all of its 86 barangays under a state of calamity due to flashfloods and landslides brought by heavy rains, an official of the Office of Civil Defense (OCD) said today.

Dr. Blanche Gobenciong, OCD-Caraga regional director, said that with the number of barangays and population of Butuan City affected by flooding and landslides, a state of calamity can be declared in the city based on the criteria set by the National Disaster Coordinating Council.

With this, Gobenciong said the concerned local government unit can release 30 percent of its calamity funds, called “Disaster Risk Reduction Management Fund,” to help deal with the disaster’s aftermath.

According to initial reports from the City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council claimed, at least 1,690 families in 13 barangays in Butuan have already been evacuated. (report from Ben Serrano, Philstar.com)