Cebu declares state of calamity in wake of floods
A Cebu City government owned fire truck rescued stranded passengers at the Logarta street corner F. Cabahug street by transporting them to a nearby area with less water. (CDN PHOTO/JUNJIE MENDOZA)
CEBU CITY—Cebu City has been placed under a state of calamity to speed up implementation of drainage improvement projects to prevent a repeat of Thursday’s flooding that submerged half of the city’s streets.
But Vice Mayor Edgar Labella said there was no need to allocate the release of calamity assistance because no structures or lives were lost.
During a special session on Thursday afternoon, City Council members agreed that garbage, siltation, lack of discipline and the presence of illegal structures had constricted waterways, making it difficult for flood waters to flow out to sea.
Incessant rains that started at 11 p.m. on Wednesday up to Thursday morning triggered massive flooding that submerged half of the streets in Cebu City as well as in suburban Lapu-Lapu and Mandaue cities.
Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical & Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa) Visayas head Oscar Tabada said that while the rain started late Wednesday night, the heavy downpour lasted for six hours from 2 a.m. to 8 a.m. on Thursday. The volume of rain that fell during the six-hour period was 60.7 mm, equivalent of 10 days of rainfall in September.
Tabada warned the council of more downpours since at least seven more typhoons are expected to enter the country before the year ends.
Joy Tumulak, operations head of the Cebu City Traffic Operations and Management, said at least 58 thoroughfares or 50 percent of the lowland streets were submerged in knee-deep floods.
Several small vehicles got stuck, causing heavy congestion especially in the downtown area and at the North Reclamation Area.
Hundreds of passengers were fetched by 11 city-owned buses and trucks and some military trucks.
Department of Public Works and Highways personnel were conducting clearing operations to take out the landslides that covered a portion of the Cebu Transcentral Highway at the boundary of Cebu City and Balamban town in midwest Cebu and the Manipas Road in Talisay City.
Meanwhile, fisherman Juanito Alcos of Aloguinsan town in Cebu was rescued about 7 a.m. Friday off Negros Oriental after he was reported missing by the Cebu Provincial Risk Reduction and Management Council on Thursday afternoon.
He last called his relatives in Aloguinsan town around 2 p.m. to say he had run out of fuel and would swim back to shore.
A rescue team led by the Asturias police chief, Insp. Philip John Libres, and bantay dagat personnel found Alcos Friday morning off Negros Oriental.
Seven other fishermen who tried to rescue Alcos and were also reported missing were found to have docked in barangay Pondol in Balamban town on Thursday night.
All the eight fishermen were brought to the Asturias infirmary for medical check up before they were sent home.
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