Dagupan’s Task Force El Niño on full alert
HEAT INDEX EXPECTED TO WORSEN
DAGUPAN City’s El Niño Task Force was convened and has since been on full alert following its creation on May 10, 2023 by Executive Order No. 10 of Mayor Belen Fernandez to mitigate the effects of the El Niño phenomenon in the city.
The task force’s creation is in response to the directive of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. to implement a ‘whole of government approach’ on the possible adverse effects of El Niño.
PAG-ASA predicts the weather phenomenon to start in July this year and is expected to remain until the first quarter of 2024.
Mayor Fernandez warned that “ El Niño phenomenon may have a grave impact on people’s lives, environment, health and socio-economic conditions in terms of loss of life, disruption of production, livelihood opportunities, disruption of essential services and damage to property and infrastructure.”
She cited the phenomenon’s serious adverse impact on agriculture, particularly rice and corn production and fish culture and production may affect the availability and distribution of food in the city.
The task force’s primary mandate is to formulate a comprehensive disaster preparedness and rehabilitation plan for the El Niño phenomenon to help the public cope up and minimize its disastrous effects.
Its other functions include regular monitoring of the plan implementation and conducting massive information education campaign to the public and interventions needed to reduce its expected adverse impact in the country with the support of government agencies and civil society groups.
Meanwhile, the City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (CDRRMO) already notes that the city regularly registers temperature from 32 to 39 degrees Celsius while the heat index is recorded at 40 to 50 degrees Celsius.
A record high heat index of 44 degrees Celsius was experienced last May 10 considered to be under the danger stage of 42 degrees Celsius to 51 degrees Celsius of Human Perceived Equivalent Temperature, according to PAG-ASA. (Dagupan CIO)
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