"STAY safe, maintain a healthy condition and continue wearing face masks," Negros Occidental Governor Eugenio Jose Lacson asked Negrenses amid the continuous rains experienced in the province.
During this cold weather, people are getting sick, especially fever, colds, and cough, he said.
Lacson made the precaution as a Yellow Alert Level has been declared since Thursday, January 12, in the province including Bacolod City.
Dr. Zeaphard Caelian, head of the Provincial Disaster Management Program Division, said 21 localities have extended the suspension of classes because of the effect of a low pressure area and shear line that still brought rains in several parts of the province, especially in the southern and central parts of Negros Occidental.
The localities that extend the suspension of classes are EB Magalona, Silay, Pontevedra, La Carlota City, Valladolid, Murcia, Hinoba-an, Cauayan, Ilog, Pulupandan, Calatrava, Sipalay City, Isabela, Talisay City, Salvador Benedicto, Cadiz City Moises Padilla, Escalante City, Vistorias City, Himamaylan City, and Hinigaran.
Bacolod, the province’s capital city, has also extended the suspension of classes on Friday.
AFFECTED FAMILIES
Caelian said that a house was destroyed in Talisay City due to a landslide that affected a family composed of eight individuals. A child was also wounded.
Cadiz City reported that 207 families or 674 individuals from six barangays were affected by the heavy downpour. These are Barangays Daga, Cabahug Tinampa-an, Luna, Burgos and Sicaba.
In Bago City, 76 individuals from 22 families were affected from Barangay Dulao, Antipulu-an and Sagasa, while in Sagay City, 135 individuals from 44 families were affected from Barangay Old Sagay, Bulanon, Poblacion 2 Paraiso, and Malubon.
STRANDED
Meanwhile, more than a dozen passengers, along with several rolling cargoes were stranded at the San Carlos City port Thursday morning, January 12, after several Cebu-bound ferries suspended their trips due to the bad weather caused by the combination of low pressure area, and shear line.
Commander Jansen Benjamin, Coast Guard District Western Visayas chief of operations, said the captains of M/V FastCat M10 and M/V Lite Ferry 2 decided not to push through with their scheduled trips to Toledo City in Cebu due to rough sea conditions.
The suspension stranded a total of 24 Cebu-bound passengers, and 12 rolling cargoes.
Also in San Carlos City, a portion of the ecotranslink highway which connects the city to the town of Salvador Benedicto was forced to close one-lane traffic following a rockslide in the area.
In a Facebook post of the city's Disaster Risk Reduction Management Office, they are advising motorists traversing the Zone 12 upper portion of the highway to exercise caution due to the high risk of a landslide taking place in the area.
The authorities immediately conducted a road-clearing operation in the area to remove the debris blocking the highway.*