Landslides yesterday almost killed a woman in barangay Kalunasan, Cebu City, and a family in Lawaan III, Talisay City, where heavy rains in the aftermath of storm Ramon further loosened soil in upland villages.
Lucia Abellanosa, 35, was sound asleep at home at 9 a.m. resting during her day off from work. She woke up just in time before two boulders smashed into her bamboo house in sitio St. Anthony, barangay Kalunasan.
“I woke up from sleep when I heard rocks falling. I froze and had a mental blackout. My foot was hit by a rock. I immediately ran out of the house,” she Lucia told Cebu Daily News.
Aside from a cut and bruise in her left foot, she was unharmed.
The hut is located downhill, 200 meters away from the main road.
She lived there with her 28-year-old brother, Neceporo Barcenilla, who away at work when the landslide occurred. They will spend the night in a neighbor’s house.
The falling rocks also ruined the bamboo house of barangay tanod Antonio Iran, 71, Fortunately no family members were home at the time.
Kalunasan barangay captain Nunilon Monares Jr. said he had advised sitio residents to evacuate but they didn’t heed him thinking they had nowhere to go. A total of four houses in Kalunasan were damaged by the landslide.
In Talisay City, a familiy survived a landslide past midnight last Wednesday in sitio Lower Kaduldolan, Lawaan III.
Ypil-Ypil trees that fell down from the mountain were part of the debris that hit the house of tricycle driver Gil Maghinay, 33 at 12:30 a.m. He suffered slight wounds on his left foot and arm.
His family was able to run out of the house in time.
Wife Jilyn and daughter, Jelly Mae, 10, woke up past midnight when heavy rains started falling.
“My daughter and I were crying in fear,” said the wife.
The landslide destroyed the kitchen, living room and bedroom of their cottage made of “amakan” (bamboo matting).
Gil said they would stay for the meantime with his cousin who lives nearby but appealed for help from the city government to rebuild their house.
Lawaan III barangay captain Delia Romania-YbaNez said she already advised eight of the 20 houses in sitio Kadulduolan to evacuate the area.