WHILE municipal and barangay personnel are busy clearing the streets of felled trees and electric posts in the adjacent towns of Daanbantayan and Medellin in northern Cebu in the wake of typhoon Ursula, residents, especially parents, have been warned not to allow their children to play outside.
A five-year-old boy was rushed to the hospital where he was declared dead on arrival after he stepped on a live wire of a fallen Cebu II Electric Cooperative post.
The incident happened during a clearing operation in Sitio Bangkal, Barangay Dayhagon in Medellin on Thursday, Dec. 26, 2019.
Mayor Joven Mondigo Jr. identified the victim as Rodjie Valiente.
Mondigo said Valiente’s neighbor, seven-year-old Andie Umacob, suffered burns in different parts of the body and was taken to the Cebu Provincial Hospital in Bogo City to receive treatment.
However, the mayor clarified that Valiente’s death was not related to the typhoon, which struck the town on Tuesday, Dec. 24.
He said the Municipality will extend financial assistance to the family of Valiente and Umacob, who is still in the hospital.
Medellin and Daanbantayan were the hardest hit local government units in Cebu Province by typhoon Ursula.
More than 700 families had to be evacuated in Medellin, while around 9,000 families, or 50,000 individuals, had to leave their homes in Daanbantayan.
The two towns have been placed under a state of calamity since Thursday.
In Medellin, the typhoon damaged 1,116 houses and destroyed 36 houses in six barangays. It also damaged several hectares of rice paddies and sugarcane plantations. (ANV / PJB)