Heavy rains stall traffic; Landslide kills couple in Naga city

A landslide killed a couple in Naga City as yesterday’s heavy rainfall flooded Metro Cebu’s streets, causing traffic jams and stranding commuters till past 8 p.m.

Rains started 1:40 p.m. and continued till past 6 p.m., a trend earlier cited in weather forecasts of longer and stronger than usual rain.

A boulder fell on a shanty in barangay Cantaw-an, Naga City about 6:20 p.m., crushing Dionisio Villlarmia and his wife Juliana as they slept.

Their eldest son 13-year-old Rommel woke up and saw the boulder which landed in the middle of their shanty. His three siblings aged 5,6 and 10 were unharmed.

The shanty was built on a slope, where the parents had rebuilt the house despite warnings to relocate after a landslide hit the same area last year and destroyed their house, said PO2 Gilmer Noval.

Naga City has six landslide-prone barangays, alhtough Cantaw-an was not one of the high-risk areas listed by government mine experts.

In Mandaue City, the roof of the San Roque chapel and portion of the wall caved in, injuring 25-year-old Remegio Magallanes, who was taken to the Cortes Hospital for treatment.

He was alone keeping vigil over his girlfriend’s late grandmother Corazon Cordero. Relatives pulled out the coffin, still intact, from the debris.

The downpour caused flooding in A.S Fortuna St in Mandaue City and the North Reclamation Area in Cebu City, choking traffic flow that reached outer limits of Lapu-Lapu City and Talisay.

Many commuters, including students, ended up walking walk along the national highway in Mandaue City just to get home.

“It was a good thing that the rains occurred during low tide, otherwise the water level would have been higher,” said Alvin Santillana, Cebu City Disaster Risk Reduction Management Council chief.

Knee-deep flooding caused by continuous rainfall aggravated traffic congestion in various parts of Cebu City.

The Mahiga Creek in barangay Mabolo and the Tejero Creek in barangay Tejero overflowed.

Knee-deep water reached M.J. Cuenco Avenue and Bonifacio Street, causing vehicles to slowdown to a crawl. Water submerged parts of the North Reclamation Area, where several Multicab engines stalled.

Heavy traffic was worse along Juan Luna Street especially in front of the Florencio Urot Memorial National High School, where water reached eight inches.

The Cebu City government fielded Kaoshiung buses to fetch stranded commuters at SM Mall at the Reclamation Area to JY Square in Lahug.

Traffic was heavy along the Mandaue national highway after the creek beside Innodata overflowed.

A trip that would take an hour from Cebu Business Park to the Mandaue City Hall took three hours.

Ongoing digging for a drainage project cross Innodata and a vehicular accident in in barangay Tipolo also contributed to the congestion.

At the Mactan Cebu International Airport, there was no drainage overflow similar to what happened after Saturday’s downpour.

“No flights were diverted. The 20 minutes maximum delays were due to air traffic congestion,” public affairs chief Mary Ann Dimabayao said.

A 1 p.m. flight for Caticlan, Boracay Island was cancelled due to bad weather.

In Talisay City, the road in barangay Campo 4 was cleared of debris following last Monday’s landslide.

The contractor of a road-widening project of the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) worked overtime to remove the boulders and soil from the road. The clearing started last Monday night and was finished early yesterday./With Correspondents Carine Asutilla, Edison delos Angeles and Norman V. Mendoza