MGB-DENR 8 nears completion of geohazard assessment in Region 8
TACLOBAN CITY, Leyte Philippines — Mines and Geosciences Bureau Director Danilo Uykieng disclosed that the Bureau is almost complete in the geohazard assessment in all the municipalities all over Eastern Visayas.
Director Uykieng informed that the Bureau is currently conducting geohazard assessment in the province of Samar, particularly at the City of Calbayog and in the municipalities of Gandara and San Jorge.
Director Uykieng further disclosed that upon completion of the geohazard assessment, the results of the geohazard assessment are forwarded to the concerned local government units and to the regional, provincial, municipality and barangay development coordinating councils to guide them in disaster management planning.
The Local Government Units and the local disaster coordinating councils help the DENR in disseminating the results of the geohazard assessment to the target sectors and communities.
The provincial disaster coordinating councils and the municipal disaster coordinating councils conduct training on what to do before, during and after the occurrence of disasters in their respective areas of jurisdiction, Director Uykieng added.
The Mines and Geosciences Bureau of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources is concerned in the provision of information to the Local Government Units and the various local disaster coordinating councils from the Region to the province, to cities and municipalities up to the barangay level on the specific barangays which has low, medium or high susceptibility to flooding, landslides and other forms of geologic hazards.
The Local Government Units and local disaster coordinating councils are the ones in charge of the mobilizing and giving advisories to the communities on what to do in times of calamities, Director Uykieng explained.
The good director added that Region 8 has a total of 4,390 barangays. Of this total number of barangays, about 442 barangays have been found to be located in high risk areas. About 763 barangays in the Region are situated in medium risk areas while about 754 are located in low risk areas to landslide. The MGB is currently doing map interpretation process of the Flood Hazard Maps to categorize barangays into low risk, medium risk, and high risk flood prone areas, Director Uykieng concluded. (PIA 
