MORE than two hours of steady rain in Metro Cebu yesterday caused street floods, tied up traffic, and forced an elementary school in Mandaue City to suspend classes for the day as floodwaters entered the classrooms.
Monsoon rains dumped 30 millimeters of rainfall between noon to 2 p.m. yesterday said Boy Artiaga, Pagasa Mactan weather observer.
Pag-asa recorded around 10 mm of rainfall per hour yesterday.
Rainfall of more than 7.5 mm per hour is considered “heavy” and enough to cause erosion and soil movement in landslide-prone areas.
With the onset of the rainy season, Artiaga said we could expect more rains at least five days a week.
Classes in the Mayor Alejandro Fortuna Memorial Elementary School in barangay Guizo, Mandaue City, were suspended for the day after floodwaters entered classrooms.
Traffic was crawling on M.J. Cuenco Avenue in Cebu City as part of the national road was flooded.
Colon, Sanciangko and other downtown streets in Cebu City were also flooded but the water subsided about 45 minutes after the rain.
Knee-deep water was noted along downtown Lopez Jaena Street near Casa Gorordo.
The creek below the Tejero-Tinago bridge almost overflowed.
The Mahiga Creek in barangay Mabolo in sitio Lahing-Lahing overflowed.
The rising water level was closely monitored by the Cebu City risk reduction managment council.
“Ni-saka gyud ang tubig, unya gi monitor lang namo aron walay ma piligro,” said Romulo Guarin of the council.
Gorordo avenue near Y Square in barangay Lahug was also awash with storm water.
In Plaza Housing, barangay Busay, Cebu City, the rains toppled a portion of a concrete wall past 2 p.m. but no one was hurt.
In Mandaue City, street floods hampered traffic along A.S. Fortuna Street near Rolling Hills Memorial Chapels, MC Briones Street, Highway Seno in barangay Subangdaku, Tipolo and Guizo. Reporter Candeze R. Mongaya with a report from Chief of Reporters Doris C. Bongcac, Correspondents Jhunnex Napallacan, Carmel Loise Matus and Gabriel C. Bonjoc