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Monday, February 20, 2006
Volunteer from Cebu tells of horrors rescue teams face
By Linette C. Ramos
CEBU CITY -- Waist-deep mud and threats of another landslide made it impossible for rescuers to reach the center of Barangay Guinsaugon, but volunteers' hopes in reaching more survivors remain high as they struggle to ensure their own safety.
Medardo Batiller is only one of the hundreds of rescuers who braved the rains and walked in a vast pool of mud in Guinsaugon, St. Bernard town in Southern Leyte in search of survivors or bodies.
The Emergency Rescue Unit Foundation (Eruf) team was sent to assess the situation in the area last Friday afternoon but the sight of people separated from their loved ones found Batiller's team joining the rescue operations.
"People there are still very hopeful that there are more survivors but of course, we had to consider the situation and the weather and lisod gyud (it's hard)," he told Sun.Star Cebu.
Batiller said they attempted to reach the site of the school where hundreds of students are believed to be buried, but they only got to as far as the barangay's peripheral since the nearby hills already showed signs of giving away.
"Padulong gyud mi didto na area pero dili gyud madala kay malumos gyud ka. Sa kilid pa lang sa barangay kutob na sa akong hawak ang lapok. Maglisod sad mi pag-alsa sa mong tiil, labi na nga magdagan-dagan mi kung muuwan na ug mulihok na sad ang yuta (We were heading toward the school, but it was impossible to continue because we would sink in the mud. At the side of the barangay, the mud is already waist deep. We had a hard time lifting our feet, especially when we had to run every time it rained and the ground began to shift again)," Batiller said.
"Hopeful mi na daghan pa ang matabangan pero as rescuers, maghuna-huna pud mi sa among safety ug sa safety sa mga residente na nangita sa ilang pamilya (We hope to help many people, but even as rescuers, we also have to think of our safety and that of residents looking for their families)," he said.
The Eruf team was discussing the situation with the Southern Leyte vice governor shortly after a helicopter took them to Guinsaugon when another hill caved in and sent rocks and mud flowing in their direction.
Since bad weather continued to hamper rescue and retrieval operations of some 1,500 rescuers who remained in the area, Batiller said they decided to return to Cebu last Saturday.
Rescuers from government agencies and volunteers are not lacking, he said, but survivors and evacuees are badly in need of medicines, food, drinking water, clothes and other medical supplies.
Body bags will also be needed since rescuers hope to recover more bodies once the weather improves.
As of last Saturday, 13 rescue groups were already in the thick of rescue operations, numbering to about 60 to 100 per group, said Batiller.
He said they decided to return to Cebu because there are already enough rescuers in the area, so Cebuanos should just help by donating relief goods.
Plasters and antibiotics are also needed in the hospitals where the injured victims were taken. (Sun.Star Cebu)
(February 20, 2006 issue)
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