FIVE areas in Mandaue City reported floods following a heavy rain yesterday dawn, with one community having to evacuate some 60 families.

For about five hours, some 60 families in Barangay Cubacub were told to stay in a tent after a natural waterway near their homes overflowed.

Everyone made it back home safely.

But bring your umbrellas and other rain gear in the next few days, the weather bureau advised.

Van Singson, a weather specialist of the Pagasa Mactan station, said that rain is expected in the next few days, particularly in the afternoons. Pagasa stands for the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa).

Yesterday, a team from Bantay Mandaue rescued some 60 families from Purok 2 and Purok 6 in Cubacub and transferred them to an elevated area past 2 a.m.

City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Officer Felix Suico, who led the rescue, said that the families lived near a natural waterway.

Shelter, food

During the rain, the water level rose by four feet.

“Kalit uwana ba. Ilang nabantayan basa na sila. Hastang ilang bugas naapil (It was sudden. The families who were sleeping at that time were surprised that the water was already inside their house. The rice they stored was soaked),” Suico said.

Cubacub’s barangay officials called the City Command Center for help. Then also set up a tent on an elevated area a few meters away from the waterway, where the families temporarily stayed.

They went back to their houses around 7 a.m.

The City Social Welfare and Services office led by Violeta Cavada provided food packs with rice and canned goods to the affected families.

Aside from Cubacub, a thigh-deep flood was reported on Abra St. in Barangay Alang-Alang.

Vulnerable

City Public Information Officer Roger Paller said the drainage system overflowed. He said the City will call the Department of Public Works and Highways, which has an ongoing concreting and drainage project on D.M. Cortes St., to address this concern.

Flooding also happened in Purok Ampalaya, Cambaro.

“Ang baha way outlet kay ang existing drainage natabunan kay naa’y dagkong kompanya (The water could not flow properly because the drainage was covered by some big companies),” Paller said.

Despite a new drainage system on A.S. Fortuna St. in Barangay Banilad, knee-deep flood still inundated the area.

The City Engineer’s Office was tasked to look at the problem.

Barangay Tawason Road was also not spared from flooding because of a clogged drainage system.

Most of the areas mentioned are located in the barangays that are considered flood-prone. These are Barangays Tipolo, Subangdaku, Guizo, Mantuyong, Looc, Cambaro, Umapad, Paknaan and Cubacub.

With what happened on A.S. Fortuna St., Suico said they are now monitoring Banilad.

Get ready

He advised residents to get ready, monitor weather forecasts, clean up their canals and dispose of household wastes properly.

For its part, the police force is working with local government units to prepare for floods, landslides and other emergencies once the rainy season starts, an official said.

Chief Supt. Patrocinio Comendador Jr., the Police Regional Office (PRO) 7 director, said that police stations are monitoring their communities so they can immediately respond if an emergency arises.

Comendador said police units can monitor the “problematic areas” by looking at their geohazard maps that identify flood-prone and landslide-prone areas.

He said the police have equipment that can be used in rescue or evacuation operations.

Last Tuesday, the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pag-asa) announced the start of the rainy season, which is expected to last until October or November this year.