Downpour floods Cebu, Mandaue streets

MORE than 20 families were  stranded in sitio Pilit, barangay Cabangcalan, Mandaue City after yesterday dawn’s downpour.

Street flooding was also experienced downtown Cebu City last Friday evening.

Suction pumps were used to  draw out  water that entered houses in an area dubbed “Boracay”, a site that often gets flooded after a rain, said Corigidor Cosido, barangay captain of Cabangcalan.

He said there was no path for rainwater to make its way to the Butuanon River.

Phase three of a drainage project that would connect canals to the Butuanon river is expected to be finished this year, he said.

Mandaue City’s Public Information Officer Roger Paller said they sent personnel to rescue  residents and pump out floodwater. The Pilit road became passable as of 5 p.m. yesterday.

In Cebu City, floods were experienced in lowlying parts of barangays Mabolo and Labangon on  Friday night.

Mayor Michael Rama called for a meeting with disaster response officials to work plans on dealing with flooded areas.

In Lapu-Lapu City, about 1,100 people joined a city government clean-up drive in barangay Basak yesterday.

Around 400 volunteers came from the city government while 700 came from Aboitiz and their locators at MEPZ 2 including volunteers from the Philippine Airforce.

Basak is the lowest lying area in Lapu-Lapu City and is prone to flooding.

The mayor ordered the construction of a parallel drainage in Basak to augment the present drainage system and curb flooding there. With Correspondent Norman V. Mendoza