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Wednesday, October 01, 2008
City prepares for storm Pablo
CEBU CITY – City Hall prepared its chainsaws Tuesday and issued a public advisory warning residents of flood and landslide-prone areas of the dangers tropical storm Pablo (international code name Higos) brings.
Nearly 2,000 people were also stranded Tuesday at a seaport in the Visayas as Tropical Storm Pablo pummeled the country’s east coast with heavy rain.
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The City Government made these preparations after the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pag-asa) hoisted storm signal number one in northern Cebu.
While no damage to life and property has been reported yet, Pag-asa Chief Oscar Tabada said Cebuanos must be vigilant because they are expecting an average of six more tropical or cyclone disturbance towards the end of 2008.
Records show that usually in the last quarter of the year, storms or typhoons will cross the Visayas area, said Tabada.
Tabada, however, said based of forecasts, the storm signal could be lifted this afternoon.
The Cebu City Disaster Coordinating Council (CCDCC) specifically asked Sinsin Barangay Captain Ramon Ylaya Jr. to instruct residents of the landslide area in his village to vacate their properties immediately.
Other high-risk areas identified by the CCDCC are Barangays Sinsin, Buhisan, Sudlon, Lahug and all barangays along the Guadalupe River.
CCDCC action officer Alvin Santillana said they have pulled out the chainsaws from different City Government offices and will deploy them anytime in the different mountain barangays and landslide-prone areas in the city.
This is in preparation for any fallen trees or debris that may obstruct the roads during the heavy rains in the event that tropical storm Pablo hits Cebu City.
Santillana said they have also instructed those living near the riverbanks to monitor the water level in the rivers and creeks and to inform City Hall of any flooding or forthcoming danger.
The hotline number to call is 254-8375.
“As early as now, we’re already warning the residents of critical areas to temporarily vacate their houses to avoid getting caught in floods or landslides. Those living near the rivers were asked to conduct a flood-watch,” he told Sun.Star Cebu.
The CCDCC also met with Ylaya Tuesday to discuss the situation in Sitio Nangka in Sinsin, where many of the residents were evacuated last May.
The affected residents have since returned to their houses despite the closure of a certain area there because of the landslide that recurs in the sitio.
“They know it’s a high-risk area. In fact we already closed it, yet they opted to return there. We informed the barangay captain that there is a storm and it will be very dangerous for them to be there at this time. We reiterated the need for them to vacate the area,” Santillana said.
The CCDCC also received an advisory Tuesday afternoon from the National Disaster Coordinating Council instructing the City to inform the residents of high-risk areas to take precautionary measures.
The Coast Guard on the other hand, halted ferry services between Samar, the third-largest island in the country, and Luzon, the main island, early Tuesday due to rough seas, leaving some 1,700 people stuck in Luzon, an agency spokesman said.
The eye of the storm was over the northeast coast of Samar at 2 p.m. and moving northwest at 30 kilometers an hour, the Japan Meteorological Agency said.
Pablo had maximum sustained winds of 72 kilometers an hour, it said.
Pablo was expected to rake across the archipelago’s central islands over the next two days before turning north towards the southwest coast of Luzon on Friday, the Philippine weather service said.
President Arroyo, who was visiting Samar and a nearby island yesterday, called off most public engagements in Samar due to the storm, the Presidential Palace said in a written advisory.
Heavy rain was falling on Samar’s east coast, though there have been no reports of damage or casualties, the presidential advisory said.
“Residents in low-lying areas and near mountain slopes are advised to take all the necessary precautions against possible flashfloods and landslides,” the Philippine weather service said in an advisory.
Residents of the coasts “are alerted against big waves and storm surges.”
Storms and typhoons kill hundreds of people every year in the Philippines. (LCR with EOB of Sun.Star Cebu)
For more Philippine news, visit Sun.Star Bacolod. (October 1, 2008 issue)
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