Pagasa said that Cebu will continue to experience light to moderate rains until Thursday. /CDN Digital file photo
CEBU CITY, Philippines — While residents of El Niño-affected areas celebrate the light rains that dampened Cebu’s soils in the last few days, the Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (PDRRMO) warned of the possibility of rain-induced landslides.
PDRRMO Information Officer Julius Regner said that the sudden downpour may trigger landslide occurrences especially in areas where the soil has started to crack due to the excessive heat that has been experienced here in the past few weeks.
“Kuyaw nga mag landslide labi na og kusog ang uwan kay nangalungag na man na ang yuta unya kung mokusog ang uwan mas mobigay na ang yuta,” Regner said.
(There is risk of landslides when there is heavy rains because already cracked soil have the tendency to cave in.)
Regner said that upland barangays in the towns of Aloguinsan, Pinamungajan, Alegria, Malabuyoc, Ginatinalan and Boljoon in the southern part of the province and San Remigio town in the north are the most vulnerable to landslides because of its soil quality.
“Kuyaw na especially sa mga lugar nga dunay duol nga mga kabalayan. Mao na nga dapat pod na tutukan sa mga disaster officer especially kung mag-uwan,” Regner said.
(There could be danger especially in areas where there are nearby homes. Disaster officers in these areas should be cautious especially when it rains.)
Engineer Alfredo Quiblat Jr., Mactan chief of the Philippine Atmospheric Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa), however said that the possibility of heavy rains in Cebu in the coming days is very remote.
What Cebu may experience are light to moderate rains that are not enough to induce landslides.
The occasional light rains brought by the easterly winds, Quiblat said, is expected to last until Thursday, April 11. Cebu is expected to have a sunny weather starting on Friday that will last until Palm Sunday./dcb