20 swept away by floodwaters

CEBU, Philippines – More than 20 people living under the Colon Bridge in Barangay Pahina-San Nicolas were swept away by the raging floodwaters of the Guadalupe River yesterday afternoon.

All of them were later accounted for, but one of them, 10-year-old Juvy Tarlesa, had to be taken to the hospital after she swallowed water.

Luisa Niduasa, 44, who lives in a shanty under the bridge, said around 3:30 p.m. yesterday after the heavy downpour she noticed that the water was rising quickly and higher than in previous floods.

She said that they keep track of the water level by look at a big rock in the middle of the river. Yesterday the water completely submerged the rock, which has never happened before, and so she alerted her neighbors and her four children to run for safety.

Her older children quickly climbed up to the bridge but she was still in her shanty with her daughter Monica, six, and son Monico, 14, when the water swept in and carried them off along with a lot of debris.

“Nagtuo mi nga dili mobaha pero dako man kaayo and tubig nisaka man, nag-cross na mi di na mi kalusot kay ang kahoy niana (nihapak) na man sa among buko-buko,” Niduasa said.

“Nangupot mi tanan, ang mga bata mao’y among gihatod sa taas, akong 6-anyos ug 14 nikapyot sa akong liog ang usa ako sang gikuptan, natuok na ko. Akong desisyon magpaanod na lang mi kuyog sa akong anak,” she said.

She and her children were deposited by the floodwaters at the riverbank just nearby.

Tarlesa, one of the children of her neighbor, was also swept away by the floodwaters and swallowed some water before neighbors could rescue her.

Emergency Medical Services personnel, alerted to the incident by the Cebu City Command Center, brought her to Cebu City Medical Center.

All of the people living under the bridge were accounted for yesterday but after what happened Niduasa said that she is not staying there anymore.

“Tagam na ta aning kalakiha, unya na ta molikas kung naa nay mamatay,” she said.

When she was asked where she will live she said she will take her children to the streets while waiting for financial assistance.

Like many other residents under the bridge Niduaso said she was forced to live there out of poverty.

She said their family comes from Bantayan town but they moved here to make a living out of collecting and selling recyclable materials. Sometimes she also does laundry.

“Maglabada ko, usahay mamasura. Di na ko mouli sa Bantayan kay akong mga anak di man pod moadto. Didto sa Bantayan naay daghang isda pero ang problema ang bugas,” she said.

She said that she had to move under the bridge after they were asked to leave from another lot in Pahina-San Nicolas because the owner wanted to use the lot. Her husband is in prison for robbery.

It was heavy rains in the mountain barangays of Cebu City that caused the Guadalupe River flooding.

In Barangay Tisa four riverside houses also collapsed after a flashflood in the Buhisan River while hundreds of residents living near the waterways also evacuated.

The scenario yesterday prompted the Cebu City Disaster Risk Reduction Management Council to allocate P20 million for lot acquisition to house the families situated on flood- and landslide-prone areas.

City Councilor David Tumulak, chairman of the CCDRRMC, said the council will push for an infrastructure project under the local disaster risk reduction management plan.

“We will acquire for a property where we can construct a building to house the affected residents. We can’t wait for another incident to happen and evacuate them. Then they will return to the area,” he said.

The local disaster council planned to allocate P20 million disaster fund for the permanent relocation of the residents located in high-risk areas.

This project, Tumulak said, will serve as a long-term solution in response to disaster mitigation, implementing emergency projects to lessen the impact of disaster.

Tisa Barangay Captain Phillip Zafra confirmed that the four houses that collapsed were in Sitio Quintulimbo.

The four affected families, made up of 38 individuals, were accommodated at the Tisa National High School.

Zafra also reported that at least 16 houses were damaged, affecting 35 families made up of 196 individuals, who chose to stay in their houses.

In Kinalumsan Bridge, 109 individuals were reportedly affected by the flood and placed at the Barangay Mambaling sports complex.

Flood also hit Sitio Kalyehon in Barangay Labangon along a tributary river but no families were evacuated.

Though the city only experienced light rain, Tumulak said the heavy rainfall the mountain barangays in the south district caused the rivers to overflow.

These rivers were identified as Kinalumsan, Buhisan and Guadalupe, among other tributary streams.

Aside from the P20 million infrastructure proposal, the Cebu City Disaster Risk Reduction Management Council already allocate P30 million for at least 21 barangays to upgrade the amenities of the buildings that would also serve as evacuation centers. —/BRP (FREEMAN)