Compostela, Cebu | Photo from Wikicommons
CEBU CITY, Philippines – Around eight to nine individuals residing in a hinterland village in Compostela town, north Cebu were temporarily evacuated after cracks appeared on the ground where their houses stood.
The Municipal Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (MDRRMO) confirmed to reporters on Tuesday, October 12 that two families in Sitio Ka-Edil, Brgy. Tag-Ube were told to flee their homes when they reported large cracks within their properties.
Shadelle Mangyao Tagalog, officer-in-charge of Compostela MDRRMO’s Operations and Warning, said the cracks occurred last October 4.
As a precaution, Tagalog said they have instructed the affected families to relocate to safer areas.
“Two households were temporarily evacuated… The area has been cordoned off as of now,” said Tagalog in Cebuano.
The MDRRMO officer also said they have provided all data and documentation of the cracks found in Brgy. Tag-Ube, a mountain barangay, to the Mines and Geosciences and Bureau in Central Visayas (MGB-7) for further assessment.
They believed that non-stop rains during the first week of October, particularly on the days when Tropical Depression Lannie affected Cebu, caused the soil in the area to loosen and move.
MGB-7, for their part, will be deploying a team of geologists to assess the cracks found in Brgy. Tag-ube.
“When we learned about this earlier today, the Geosciences Division of MGB-7 coordinated with the MDRRMO of Compostela…We are also asking for more data from them in order to come up with initial analysis and assessment,” said Heart Rizarri, information officer of MGB-7.
In the meantime, Compostela’s MDRRMO has instructed disaster and rescue personnel from Brgy. Tag-Ube to continuously monitor the area, and ensure that it will remain off-limits to the public.
“Especially now that it’s the La Niña season already, we urge everyone to stay alert and evacuate to safer areas when authorities say so,” said Tagalog.
Compostela is a 3rd-class municipality located approximately 31 kilometers north of Cebu City. /rccg
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