THE heavy rain on Wednesday, Sept. 16, 2020, caused several minor landslides in Talisay City, prompting Mayor Gerald Anthony Gullas Jr. to bar bikers, joggers, sightseers and mobile vendors from using the Talisay-Uling Access Road starting Thursday, Sept. 17, until Sunday, Sept. 20.
The Talisay-Uling Access Road serves as a shortcut to Toledo City.
Gullas said he ordered the road blockade after officials of the Local Disaster Risk Reduction Management Office discovered a minor landslide along the road, which traverses the mountain barangays of Jaclupan, Camp 4 and Manipis.
Last Wednesday’s downpour was caused by tropical storm Leon, which aggravated the “habagat,” or southwest monsoon, affecting much of the country, he said.
“Rest assured, we will immediately lift the road blockade once the weather normalizes,” he added.
Also on Wednesday, a house in Sitio Paray, Barangay Kasambagan, Cebu City was damaged when a riprap collapsed.
City Councilor Jerry Guardo, committee on infrastructure chairman, said the family living in the house was evacuated.
Guardo said they also advised occupants of a neighboring house to leave and return only when the area is declared safe.
Mayor Edgardo Labella assured that affected individuals would receive food packs.
Guardo urged the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) 7 to investigate the riprap project, which was built two years ago.
Based on his inspection, materials used in the construction were substandard, he said.
“As far as I know, this riprap was recently built. So why did it collapse like that?” he said in Cebuano.
After checking the area on Thursday, Geronimo Capariño of the DPWH 7 said they will ask the contractor to rebuild the collapsed portion, adding that the project has a five-year warranty.
Capariño said there was an existing wall at the site and the DPWH only added 100 millimeters of concrete wall with reinforced steel bars.
In Mandaue City, public schools are once again ready to accommodate residents evacuated from flooded areas or to be used for educational purposes.
Felix Suico Jr., City Disaster Risk Reduction Management Office operations head, said all schools that had been used as isolation centers have been decontaminated except for the Mandaue City Central School, which continues to function as a quarantine facility.
He said the Quisumbings have allowed the City to use the playground of Norkis Park as an evacuation center.
Based on their monitoring of flood-prone barangays from Wednesday night to Thursday dawn, Suico said there was no need to evacuate many residents.
However, he said his office remains vigilant, especially when it rains heavily.
He said the City plans to coordinate with firms in Barangay Tingub to open their fences and allow water to flow so as not to flood the area.
He said the barangay used to have a creek that was reclaimed when the area was developed.
Suico also encouraged residents of flood-prone areas to be vigilant during a heavy downpour and to evacuate immediately when the water level rises. (JJL, JKV, KFD)