EDITORIAL - Let's not wait for the Big One

The cities of Cebu and Mandaue are vulnerable to massive flashfloods as deadly as those that hit the cities of Cagayan and Iligan when tropical storm Sendong battered Mindanao two weeks ago.This is according to National Disaster Risk Reduction Management Council chief Benito Ramos.

During last week’s meeting with officials of Regional Disaster Risk Reduction Management Council following the flashfloods in Negros Oriental brought about by Sendong, Ramos told Cebuanos to be always prepared since Cebu, especially the two cities, is at risk of being hit with deadly flashfloods.

By announcing his warning, Ramos did not mean to scare Cebuanos. He just wanted us to brace ourselves for any eventuality. Cebu, lest we forget, has been always vulnerable to typhoons and it already had its share of countless deaths and massive destructions during the onslaught of Ruping.

History would tell us that flooding has been a reality in Cebu during rainy season. In Cebu City’s downtown area, for instance, flooding would easily hit Colon Street and its nearby areas because of poor drainage system, which local officials – from the past administrations up to the present – failed to modernize.

What is worse is that during heavy rains, large portions of the city would submerge. This has been a perennial problem. Since the city lacks an integrated drainage system, we can only expect this problem to persist until the city government could come up with something concrete to solve it.

During the previous administration, there was a plan to put up catchment areas in upland barangays to prevent water from cascading down the city during rains. It was supposedly designed as part of the move to create an ambitious drainage masterplan to send rainwaters to the sea through a huge tunnel to be constructed under the city.

Despite its urgency, the plan did not materialize because the present administration did not seem to bother to pursue it. Unless the city government will find a way to implement it, Cebuanos will continue experiencing this pestering flooding problem.

Now we have been warned. We should not wait for the Big One.