CEBU (Updated) -- Thursday's flood pushed the Cebu City Council to declare the entire city under a state of calamity, which will allow the City Government to undertake emergency flood control projects.
Rivers will be dredged while creeks, drainage systems and other waterways will be declogged as a temporary solution to the flooding problem.
Heavy rains that started Wednesday night caused flooding in the cities of Cebu, Mandaue, Lapu-Lapu, Talisay and several towns in Cebu. Landslides were also reported in Balamban, Talisay City and Naga City.
A “water spout” damaged a building of Southwestern University (SWU) in Barangay Sambag I in Cebu City.
A waterspout also affected five barangays in Borbon town, according to the Provincial Disaster Risk-Reduction Management Office (PDRRMO).
The heavy rains brought by tropical storm Mario and the floods prompted Gov. Hilario Davide III and the city mayors of Cebu, Mandaue and Lapu-Lapu to suspend classes in all levels in both private and public schools.
‘Really very heavy’
Philippine Atmospheric Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa) Mactan Station Chief Oscar Tabada said the rainfall from 2 a.m. to 8 a.m. Thursday accumulated 60 millimeters of water.
“That was really very heavy compared to the previous rains,” Tabada told the City Council, which called for a special session Thursday.
The council declared a state of calamity during the session so the City can take “immediate action” to address the flooding problem in areas surrounding business establishments and schools.
Councilor Gerardo Carillo, who chairs the council’s committee on social services, said that dredging and declogging waterways can address the problem, but these will only be temporary solutions.
He said that the Department of Engineering and Public Works (DEPW) may charge the projects to the P200-million lump sum appropriation for drainage projects this year.
The City has yet to determine how much these projects would cost.
Carillo said that the DEPW has been pushing for the dredging of several rivers in the city. It already presented to the City Council the program of works and estimates (POWE) for the projects last month.
As for the other flood control projects, Carillo said it will be up to Mayor Michael Rama to decide on them. “We have empowered the mayor to do the necessary actions with that declaration,” Carillo said.
Tom's suggestion
During Thursday’s session, representatives of the Cebu City Disaster Risk Reduction Management Council, City Traffic Operations Management (Citom), South Road Properties Management Office, the Bureau of Fire Protection and the police presented their initiatives in responding to the flooding.
Thursday's flood prompted former mayor and congressman Tomas Osmeña to reiterate his suggestion to build an underground system of large cisterns or water-holding tanks to address the problem on flooding.
The cisterns, he said, will store the water instead of letting it flood the streets during the downpour, and can be slowly pumped out through the existing drainage system when the rain stops.
“Before my term ended, I had already identified ideal locations for the cisterns… Unfortunately, my term ended before these projects were implemented and the current administration has shown no interest in advancing it,” Osmeña said in a message that he posted on his Facebook page.
He said that constructing cisterns under the South Coastal Road would address the drainage problems in the south district.
In the north district, the cisterns can be placed under the Cebu City Sports Center and under Juan Luna Ave. in Mabolo.
‘Ferry buses’
Across Cebu city, thousands of stranded commuters were ferried by the City’s Kaoshioung buses and dump trucks, said Vice Mayor Edgardo Labella.
Citom operations chief Jonathan Tumulak said 58 streets or 50 percent of the major roads in the city, particularly the North Reclamation Area, SRP and downtown area, were flooded.
The City also asked help from the Central Command and Naval Forces Central, which deployed four military trucks to augment the vehicles of the city.
In Barangay Sambag I, strong winds damaged the roof of one of the buildings of Southwestern University Thursday dawn.
Chief Insp. Wildemar Tiu, chief of the Fuente Police Station, and the residents said that a tornado or “buhawi” hit the area at about 5:30 a.m.
‘Flying roofs’
The winds were so strong that the roof of the Anunsacion Barcenilla-Aznar (ABA) Building where the maritime and education students hold classes was torn off.
Pagasa’s Tabada told Sun.Star Cebu that they have yet to verify if it was a tornado or water spout that brought strong winds to the area.
He said they could not monitor the phenomenon because the radar that detects tornado occurrences was not functioning.
Residents in the area heard the howling sound of the strong winds and a loud thud before the school building’s roof was torn off.
“Kusog to ang uwan ato. Kusog kaayo ang haguros pud sa hangin. Nakuyawan mi og naunsa na. Abi namo amo ng balay maapil (The rain was heavy and the winds were strong. We were in a panic because we thought the winds would also tear our house apart),” said Edna Perez, whose house is located near SWU.
For his part, SWU property custodian and Sambag I Barangay Councilor Ryan Aznar believes the damage was just caused by strong winds, and not a tornado or waterspout.
“If it were a tornado, it would have also damaged the houses nearby,” Aznar said.
Talisay
In Talisay, floods forced hundreds of residents to relocate to safer ground as early as 5 a.m. Thursday.
Vince Monterde, Talisay City disaster risk reduction and management (DRRM) officer, said that some areas in Barangays San Roque, Lawaan 1, Linao, Tabunok, Bulacao and Pooc have been flooded.
In San Roque alone, 88 families from three sitios had to be evacuated. Monterde said that the flooding in the area had worsened due to an ongoing road project there.
He said that the City has already completed the bidding for the drainage project in the area.
Talisay City Mayor Johnny Delos Reyes also ordered the city’s motorpool section to send a suction truck and drain the flood waters accumulating in Sitio Calmar.
In Barangay Linao, motorists were forced to take a detour toward Barangay Mohon due to knee-deep floods.
Landslides also occurred in the mountain barangays of Manipis and Camp 4.
No one was hurt, but a makeshift bathroom of a house in Camp 4 collapsed after it was hit by rocks.
Towns
At the Capitol, PDRRMO Executive Director Baltazar Tribunalo said that a certain Juanito Alcos of Barangay Poblacion in Aloguinsan town was reported missing Thursday afternoon, shortly after his pump boat ran out of fuel.
Alcos reportedly sent his relatives a text message at 2:17 p.m. saying that he was holding on to a floater in the waters off Balamban and Asturias town.
Gov. Davide convened the members of the Provincial Disaster and Risk Reduction Management Council (PDRRMC) amid the heavy rains Thursday morning.
Other incidents reported by the PDRRMO were floods in Bogo City that forced 770 people from four barangays to leave their homes, and landslides at the Transcentral Highway in Balamban and in Barangay Lanas in Naga City.
Mandaue
Overnight rains also caused knee-deep floods in Barangays Subangdaku, Opao, Umapad, Banilad, Tipolo, Guizo, Mantuyong and Labogon in Mandaue City and in Barangay Basak and Pajo in Lapu-Lapu City.
Two families from Tipolo evacuated to the City Cultural and Sports Complex when the water rose around 4 a.m., said Felix Suico, head of the Mandaue City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office.
Suico said they transported commuters stranded in Barangay Ibabao, along U.N. Avenue and in Parkmall.
A truck of the Armed Forces of the Philippines also helped transport commuters from Cebu City to Mandaue and vice versa.
Suico said they continue to monitor updates from state weather Pagasa on the movement of typhoon Mario.
He appealed to residents living in flood-prone areas, especially along the Mahiga Creek and Butuanon River, not to wait for authorities to evacuate them when the water rises to a critical level.
For its part, the Police Regional Office (PRO) 7 activated its Oplan Saklolo yesterday.
The Regional Public Safety Battalion (RPSB) 7, the unit in charge of search and rescue operations, was also on standby.
Last Monday, PRO 7 gave the RPSB 7 some P600,000 worth of equipment in preparation for the typhoons that are expected to enter the country during the “ber” months. (Sun.Star Cebu)