Wednesday, May 07, 2008
42 of 569 families now homeless after landslides
WHAT was once a reception area suitable for welcoming any guest in Barangay Sinsin is now reduced to a slab of concrete hanging precariously off a cliff.
In Sinsin, Lorenza Fernandez’s reception area was complete with a bathing area, comfort room and a videoke machine.
But after Jan. 8, everything literally disappeared and ended up at the bottom of the cliff.
The reception area now houses live chicken.
Fernandez, 53, said her reception area slowly split into two before completely sliding down the cliff.
“It was raining really hard that morning, and by 4 p.m., half the reception area was already gone,” she told Sun.Star Cebu.
Earlier that day, she noticed that the reception area was on the verge of falling off the cliff. Fearing that she would lose her entire house, she gathered most of her belongings.
Landslides caused by heavy rains have been recurring in the area since last week, affecting the residents of Barangay Sinsin and destroying the road that connects Barangay Sudlon to Sinsin.
Of the 569 households in Sinsin, 42 have been affected by the landslide.
Twenty-seven of them are in Sitio Nangka, four in Sinsin proper and 11 in Sitio Sangi.
Though the barangay officials have yet to provide assistance to the affected families, Cebu City Councilor Gerardo Carillo said that the City Government would help.
During the ocular inspection of the affected areas yesterday, he assured the residents that the City would assist them, especially if they would be relocated.
In Sitio Sangi, a wall in Easterline Añoza’s house collapsed because of the landslide.
Margarita Paraiso has been living in Sinsin proper for nearly 30 years but it was only 10 years ago when cracks started to appear on the walls of her house.
Her children’s room had the worst damage, with long cracks running along the floor and walls.
“For years we’ve been trying to cover the cracks with cement, but the walls just continue to crack,” said Paraiso, pointing at the long cracks on the floor. (EPB)
For Bisaya stories from Cebu. Click here. (May 7, 2008 issue)
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