SAN FERNANDO CITY, La Union – As severe tropical storm Kristine slightly weakens upon crossing Northern Luzon due to land interaction, the Mines and Geosciences Bureau (MGB) noted a significant cut on the list of barangays in the Ilocos Region that are susceptible to landslides and floods.
Engr. Vilma Vecino, chief geologist of MGB Ilocos, presented the regional geohazard threat advisory during the press briefing on STS Kristine staged by the Regional Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council 1 through the Philippine Information Agency Ilocos on Thursday.
As of 11:00 a.m. of Oct. 24, there are a total of 1,704 barangays in the region that are prone to landslides and floods.
Of which, 999 are located in Pangasinan, 558 in La Union, and 147 in Ilocos Sur.
This latest number is comparatively lower than the 3,166 barangays noted in Oct. 22, whereas 1,342 were in Pangasinan, 558 in La Union, 721 in Ilocos Sur, and 545 were in Ilocos Norte.
“You can notice that there are no longer barangays from Ilocos Norte included in the updated list,” Vecino stated.
She added, “This is as the province has not experienced much rainfall during the collection of our data.”
Nonetheless, Vecino advised the local government units (LGUs), especially the Provincial Government of Ilocos Norte, not to be complacent and to remain in full alert as if they were in the worst-case scenario.
MGB is constantly downloading the list of critical areas that are at risk for landslides and flooding to LGUs for close monitoring.
“Our LGUs and the public can also refer to the HazardHunterPh via https://hazardhunter.georisk.
Also, Vecino affirmed that MGB remains steadfast on disseminating geohazard advisories and other IEC materials to keep the people informed. By Caren Grace R. Cabanayan-Carbonell
