Crowds stuck amid floods, traffic

COMMUTERS were left stranded while motorists were stuck in bumper-to-bumper traffic in some parts of Cebu City when heavy rains caused widespread flooding yesterday afternoon.

The scenario in the downtown area and at the North Reclamation Area, where some roads were impassable to jeepneys and other vehicles, prompted Mayor Michael Rama to dispatch at least four Kaohsiung buses to ferry commuters.

Alvin Santillana, action officer of the Local Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (LDRRMC), said the Mahiga Creek overflowed near Sitio Back Pepsi, causing heavy flooding in the vicinity of SM City Cebu.

Although the floodwater around Mahiga Creek was knee-deep, Santillana said they did not see the need to evacuate the informal settlers there as of 5 p.m. “because it’s a slow-rising flood.”

“But the officials of Barangay Mabolo are doing the rounds, monitoring the affected areas in case the water rises further. In that case, they will ask the residents to move to higher ground,” he told Sun.Star Cebu.

As early as 2 p.m., some areas in Barangays Sto. Niño., Tejero, Tinago, San Roque and M.J. Cuenco Ave. were already flooded. Some vehicles conked out in the middle of the road, forcing passengers to wade into floodwater.

Santillana and other personnel of the LDRRMC also checked Monterrazas de Cebu and other subdivisions in the hills of Guadalupe to find out if the water retention ponds there overflowed.

“So far the retention ponds of Monterrazas did not overflow so there was no cause for alarm, but the area near Guadalupe Heights started to get flooded so we decided to wait around here,” he said in a phone interview yesterday afternoon.

Lawyer Rafael Yap, chief of the City Traffic Operations Management (Citom), reported that traffic was heavier than usual during peak hours yesterday afternoon in Barangay Banilad, Salinas Drive to Juan Luna Ave., Gorordo Ave. Gen. Maxilom Ave., Mambaling junction, and in Kinasangan Pardo due to the heavy rains.

“Traffic enforcers were on hand to man traffic and to respond to any accident, but due to bad weather aggravating the usual heavy traffic in their areas, motorists had to bear with the congestion,” he said.