Thousands evacuated

CEBU, Philippines - Around 3,000 families have fled to safer ground due to massive flooding in several areas in southern and northern Cebu, spawned by a low pressure area.

Some families went packing to schools and other evacuation centers as knee-deep up to chest-deep floodwaters inundated communities in five municipalities and one city in the south, according to Julius Regner, Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office spokesperson.

The affected areas are 30 barangays in Barili, Dumanjug, Pinamungajan, Sogod, Alcantara, and Toledo City.

In Toledo City alone, PDRRMO reports showed that 2,590 families have been displaced

Recent reports reaching the PDRRM office, however, include the municipality of Sibonga with 14 families or 45 individuals evacuated due to flooding. They are from Sitio Happy Valley, Barangay Candaguit, and are taking shelter at the Candaguit Elementary School.

Regner said some evacuees from Ronda, Alcantara, Dumanjug, Sogod and Pinamungajan have returned to their homes yesterday after the floodwaters subsided.

“But in Toledo City and Barili, the residents are still in evacuation areas,” he said.

According to Barili Local Disaster Risk Reduction Management Office head Noel Girasol, at least 64 families or 358 individuals from barangays Poblacion and San Rafael are currently housed in the municipal gym while three families or 14 individuals are being accommodated in the barangay hall of Sta. Ana.

Regner said the province is set to distribute relief goods to the affected families.

However, he said PDRMMO is still consolidating all the necessary data, including the names of the residents displaced.

“Once the data are completed we will submit them to the Provincial Social Welfare and Development Office for the distribution of goods. But no worries, the province has enough supplies,” he said.

Cebu Province yesterday experienced moderate to heavy rainfall.

Regner said there were at least five houses in Barangay Awihao in Toledo City that were damaged due to floods. 

He also said some LGUs, including the municipality of Aloguinsan, started clearing their roads from mud and rocks following minor landslides.

Monitoring is still ongoing in every barangay in the province to assess the total damage to agricultural crops, fisheries and infrastructure.

Floods in Consolacion

In the north, continuous rainfall in Consolacion town flooded some of the barangays, forcing hundreds of residents to leave their homes and seek shelter in nearby evacuation centers.

Julius Alegado, adviser of the Consolacion Emergency Response Team under the Municipal Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office of the municipal government, said they were alarmed by the continuous rain yesterday morning that eventually caused floods.

Alegado and other volunteer worked with other response and rescue units to constantly monitor the intensity of the low pressure area and check the situation on the ground especially in areas near water channels.

At 10 a.m. yesterday, he said they observed that the water level of the rivers and tributary streams of the town rose due to continuous downpour and past 11 a.m., the water channels already overflowed their banks, reaching roads and even nearby houses.

By then, responders from the disaster-control unit together with the personnel from the Bureau of Fire and Protection-7 were deployed to the flooded localities to ensure the safety of the residents and to evaluate whether evacuation was necessary.

Alegado said the team identified the different areas affected by flooding as Sitio Laray of Barangay Pitogo, Sitio Latasan of Barangay Cansaga, and a portion of Barangay Nangka; and a residential compound in Sitio Fatima of Barangay Cansaga.

He attributed flooding in these areas to the topographical landscape: these areas are adjacent to each other, and these adjoining barangays are where three different streams meet.

Alegado said some bamboo bridges collapsed due to the strong current. Aside from minimal damage to structures, there were no casualties or injuries reported.

He said water level subsided gradually starting 2 p.m.

Emerenciana Auxilio, social welfare officer of the Consolacion municipal government, said the Municipal Social Welfare and Development Office counted at least 150 evacuees, 70 of which were minors.

Basing on the list, she said 32 families or 150 individuals were accommodated as of 4:45 p.m. yesterday at the covered court inside the Consolacion National High School. This figure does not include those families sheltered in other evacuation centers.

Landslide

The Cebu City Disaster Risk Reduction Management Office recorded one landslide in Sitio Dita, Barangay Pulangbato, due to rains yesterday early dawn.

According to CCDRRMO head Nagiel Bañacia, they immediately deployed a backhoe and a grader to help clear the area after they received the report from the North District task force.

He said no injuries were recorded for the said area is just a barangay road and it happened at dawn. Responders completely cleared the area at 3 p.m. yesterday.

Bañacia also said no major incidents due to the bad weather were recorded, but they are continuing monitoring especially in flood- and landslide-prone areas in the city.

Allowed to sail

Meanwhile, all the vessels from Cebu City going to neighboring provinces were given clearance by Coast Guard to sail yesterday morning after the gale warning in Leyte and Samar were lifted.

Commander Dionilett Ampil said yesterday at 11 a.m. they gave clearance to all the vessels that were suspended Monday evening to sail to their respective destinations.

Ampil also said they are still coordinating with other government agencies in monitoring weather conditions. — with Odessa O. Leyson, May B. Miasco, and Rowena D. Capistrano (FREEMAN)