BAGUIO CITY – Typhoon “Egay” knocked down or damaged 130 trees during its onslaught on Tuesday, July 26.
The City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office led by officer-in-charge Glenn Lardizabal said reports of fallen or leaning trees damaging or threatening structures came pouring in from different parts of this city as the tropical cyclone pounded the city with torrential rains and gusty winds.
Several teams from the City Environment and Parks Management Office, Baguio City Police Office, Baguio Fire Station, Public Order and Safety Division, and volunteers scrambled to attend to the reported incidents and addressed as many as they could amid the howler’s fury.
They continue to respond to the incidents based on priority as of July 28.
This city issued an appeal to owners of chainsaws to lend their equipment after available units failed to cope with the demand due to voluminous requests.
CEPMO head Rhenan Diwas authorized punong barangays or barangay chairman to cut down live and dead trees posing immediate danger to the public under an expedited reporting process from July 27 to 31.
This is to “facilitate swift action in identifying and removing leaning and dead trees that pose danger to the public” in view of the limited capacity of the response teams vis-à-vis the volume of incidents received.
Diwas said they have four teams assigned in their urban forest management program and during calamities, they serve as responders to tree emergency incidents.
To address the loss of trees, the office will continue to strengthen its tree-planting and rearing program in cooperation with residents.
The office is open to organizations intending to conduct tree planting activities in watersheds and forest reservations.
Residents were encouraged to plant medium-sized trees, specifically fruit-bearing, in available spaces in their backyard or open spaces in their neighborhood and barangays to contribute in environmental preser