‘No need to declare state of calamity in QC’

MANILA, Philippines - Quezon City Vice Mayor Joy Belmonte said yesterday that there is no need to declare a state of calamity following the massive flooding experienced in several parts of the city.

“We don’t need to declare state of calamity,” Belmonte said in a text message to The STAR.

“People in evacuation centers are starting to go home,” she added.

This was confirmed by Quezon City disaster risk reduction and management office chief Noel Lansang, who said some evacuees who left their houses on Monday have already returned to their homes yesterday.

Lansang, however, said they are not recommending the return of residents to their houses until the weather improves. He said their office is still on red alert status as the water in La Mesa Dam is still above spilling level.

He said most of those who evacuated from their homes were residents living near the Tullahan River, San Juan River, and other waterways in the city.

Data from the city social services department showed that more than 6,800 families are still in evacuation centers across the city as of yesterday afternoon. The number went down from the over 7,000 families in evacuation centers on Monday night.

In Santo Domingo parish, some families have started to return to their homes yesterday after waters in the area subsided yesterday morning.

Lansang cautioned residents who decided to return to their houses to remain on alert as floods may again rise if rains persist. He said their office is currently focused on rehabilitating areas affected by the floods.