68 Cebu City residents displaced by landslides that hit Tuesday night

Landslide hit two households in Barangay Talamban on Tuesday night, September 15, 2020. | Photo Courtesy of Barangay Talamban

CEBU CITY, Philippines — Four separate landslides were reported in Cebu City in the last 12 hours as a result of the heavy downpour Tuesday night, September 15.

Luckily, no one was reported injured in the landslides that hit residential areas in Barangays Talamban, Lahug, Busay, and Kalunasan, said Ramil Ayuman, the head of the City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (CDRRMO),

CDRRMO is yet to assess the actual number of homes that were damaged by the landslide and the total number of displaced individuals.

As of 10 a.m. this Wednesday, Sept. 16, Ayuman said that they already evacuated a total of 68 individuals from their homes.  Evacuees come from Sitios Lareja – 57 and Eberita – 11.  The two sitios are located in Barangay Kalunasan.

The evacuees were brought to the barangay gymnasium.

Ayuman said that the first three landslides that were reported in Barangays Talamban, Kalunasan, and Lahug happened shortly before midnight.

The fourth one was reported in Barangay Busay at 9 a.m. this Wednesday.

All of the four landslides were blamed on the heavy downpour Tuesday night, which caused soil in these areas to soften and eventually erode damaging nearby homes.

CDRRMO reported that the landslide in Barangay Talamban partly covered at least two houses.

A video that was shared by one resident showed eroding soil blocking the main entrance of their house.

Personnel of the Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) rescued the affected families.

Meanwhile, flooding was also reported Tuesday night in parts of Cebu City.

READ: Tuesday night downpour flooded parts of Metro Cebu

Knee-level water flooded parts of Natalio Bacalso Avenue, downtown Cebu City, and some villages that were located in Barangays Tisa and Labangon.

City disaster personnel rescued one family from Barangay Tisa and two in Barangay Labangon and brought them to safety.

As a precaution, Ayuman is asking the public, especially those who are living in the mountain barangays to immediately transfer to a stay safe.

Pagasa said that Cebu City and most parts of the province will continue to experience light to moderate with occasional heavy rains this Wednesday as a result of Tropical Depression Leon that is also causing the Southwest monsoon to intensify.  / dcb