Hundreds moved to safety before ‘Basyang’ struck Cebu

A portion of Manipis mountain in Talisay City collapsed due to rain caused by tropical storm Basyang. (CDN PHOTO/LITO TECSON)

Close to 700 families residing in coastal barangays and landslide-prone areas in Cebu were evacuated hours before tropical storm Basyang brought rains and strong winds Friday night.

While no storm surges were reported in Cebu coasts,   Neil Sanchez, chief of the Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (PDRRMO) said the  preemptive evacuation enforced by local government units was a “very good” move.

“After Yolanda, the LGUs should take the lead in evacuating  affected families ,” Sanchez said.

In Naga City, where the storm was expected to make landfall yesterday morning, 189 families were moved to evacuation centers.

Another 184 families were also evacuated from the coast of Minglanilla town while 123 households from three barangays in the southern town of San Fernando were also placed under preemptive evacuation by local authorities.

UNPREDICTABLE

In Talisay City, 75 families from barangay Dumlog, Poblacion, Litmon, Biasong and San Roque were brought to their respective barangay halls.

Some were brought to local sports centers and local parishes.

Evacuations were also carried out in Carcar City and the towns of Dalaguete, Lilo-an and Compostela in the north.

The residents were already sent back to their houses yesterday afternoon, Sanchez said.

He said food packs that contained canned goods were provided to the evacuees by the social welfare offices of the LGUs.

“If you remember tropical depression Agaton, it was only a slight weather disturbance but it did damage in Mindanao. What more with Basyang that is a tropical storm…nature is unpredictable,” Sanchez said.

“Sometimes we need something to happen that will teach us a lesson. Now we know what to do, where to go and how to respond,” he added.

LANDSLIDE

The PDRRMO sent advisories to towns as early as Friday morning.

The state weather bureau Pagasa had  warned coastal residents to evacuate, as storm surges with waves up to five or six meters high could roll in.

Yesterday, PDRRMO staffers monitored the condition of towns and cities from their makeshift office in the Capitol and released  updates every two hours on the number of evacuees, recorded casualties and actions taken by LGUs.

The heavy rains brought by “Basyang” caused a landslide in Campo 6 in barangay Manipis in Talisay City last Friday night but no one was reported hurt.

In Asturias town, a landslide in barangay New Bago  blocked the road in the area but the debris was cleared in a few hours.

Basyang,  the second storm to hit the country this year, entered the country last Thursday night and is set to leave the country today.