Mandaue exec to motorists: Avoid passing through heavily flooded city streets

Here is a CCTV footage of residents in a heavily flooded portion of the street in Barangay Tipolo, Mandaue City after the heavy downpour on May 19. | TEAM photo

MANDAUE CITY, Philippines — Motorists are advised to avoid passing through the highly flooded streets of Mandaue City.

Buddy Alain Ybañez, head of the Mandaue City Disaster Risk Reduction Management Office, on Thursday, May 25, said that they had asked the assistance of the Philippine National Police to help control and rebuke drivers who would try to pass through flooded streets.

Force to cross

“Naa mangguy uban nga ipamugos gyud og labang ang ila’ng mga sakyanan so ang result nuon, mamatay ang ila’ng mga makina, dayun ma-aberya. Unya once modown ang tubig mao na nuoy makaresulta sa traffic kay dili naman makalahos ang mga sakyanan tungod nababagan sa stalled vehicles,” said Ybañez.

(There are others who would force to cross [the flooded areas] using their vehicles so the result, their engines would conk out and they would stall in the middle of the road. And then, once the water would go down, the result will be traffic in these areas because the stalled vehicles would be blocking the road.)

READ: Mandaue City taps gov’t agencies to address flooding problems

Stalled vehicles

Ybañez said that at least six vehicles had stalled while trying to pass flooded streets of the city last Friday, May 19, when it rained heavily. They were towed by the personnel of the Traffic Enforcement Agency of Mandaue (TEAM).

He said that light and moderate-duty vehicles should not pass through streets with flood reaching waist level.

Moreover, they are also asking the assistance of the police to reprimand residents playing and swimming in flooded roads.

 Ybañez said it would be very dangerous considering that heavy and larger vehicles could still pass through a waist-level flood.

READ: Mandaue City prepares early for Mawar

Pre-Disaster Risk Assessment

Also during the Liga meeting of the barangays at the session hall, Ybañez presented before the barangay captains the things that were discussed by the response cluster during the Pre-Disaster Risk Assessment on Wednesday, May 24.

The Pre-Disaster Risk Assessment was conducted as a preparation for the possible effects of super typhoon Mawar and southwest moonsoon to the city.

“Gipresent nato unsa ang mga risgo nga areas, potential damages, and kahasul nga mahitabo niya kung naay baha, preparedness sa siyudad ug mga kabarangayan, atoa sad gipangutana ang mga response cluster members sa ila’ng preparasyun,” Ybañez said.

(We presented the areas at risk, potential damages, and the trouble that will happen during the floods, the preparedness of the city and the barangays, we also asked the response cluster members on their preparations.)

He also said that Mayor Jonas Cortes had issued a directive that even if the storm was still far, we should make sure that we would be prepared especially in sudden heavy rains.

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