The local government units (LGUs) in the provinces of Compostela Valley and Davao Oriental have nowhere to go relocating their constituents to safer grounds in their respective localities—most of the areas in the province are considered susceptible to flooding and landslides based on the geohazard maps recently distributed by the government.

In Compostela Valley, five out of 11 municipalities are in areas with high susceptibility to flooding and these include Compostela, New Bataan, Nabunturan, Montevista and Monkayo.

Highly susceptible to flooding are areas with greater than one meter flood height and usually turn flooded for several hours during heavy rains.

The rest of Compostela Valley, meanwhile, were identified with moderate to high susceptibility to landslides.

In Davao Oriental, the municipality of Cateel and Baganga are two high-risk areas in the province and could put the lives of residents in danger every time there’s a weather disturbance.

Most of the areas in Cateel have been identified with high susceptibility to flooding and landslide, while most parts of Baganga are vulnerable to flooding.

The two provinces have been severely devastated by typhoon Pablo (international codename: Bopha) in December that left over 1,500 individuals dead and about 800 missing.

Sen. Loren Legarda has taken the lead in the distribution of geohazard maps starting with Compostela Valley and Davao Oriental in a bid to help local officials and residents in identifying danger zones on their respective areas.

Legarda emphasized the need to have valuable, life-saving information regarding risks present in communities and how the maps could help them identify it.

“Many of the disasters that occurred in the country could have been avoided if our LGUs and all our citizens had knowledge of the risks they face. These maps show where it is safe and unsafe to reside or to build infrastructure,” she noted.

Legarda said that she will distribute geohazard maps in other provinces in the country, but it would be the Department of Environment and Natural Resources that would brief local government officials to ensure that the maps are understood and used properly.