Pagasa: ‘Lando’ won’t hit Cebu

Cebu won’t be affected by tropical storm “Lando” (international name Koppu), the Mactan office of the state weather bureau Pagasa said yesterday.

Alfredo Quiblat, Pagasa Mactan chief, said Cebu will experience cloudy to sunny weather in the morning and thunderstorms in the afternoon.

“The rains experienced in Cebu are caused by localized thunderstorms,” he said.

The rains triggered a landslide in the upland barangay of Kalunasan,  Cebu City.

Four persons were injured when an Acacia tree fell down on their shanties in sitio Dapdap past 4 p.m. yesterday.

Kimberly Espinili was brought to the Vicente Sotto Memorial Medical Center (VSMMC) after she complained of severe pain on her left shoulder.

Espinili’s neighbors — 33-year-old Myleen Aribato and her children Eurika, 3,  and John Cyrus, 2, — were brought to the Cebu City Medical Center (CCMC). The tree also crashed on four other shanties.

Councilor Dave Tumulak, head of Cebu City’s Command Center, said heavy rain in the city’s mountain barangays caused the landslide.

Neighbors  helped pull out Espinili and her neighbors from the remains of their shanties.

“The others got away because they saw the tree falling down,” he said in Cebuano. The houses were built near the river. He said three other families or  23 persons who lived nearby were asked to leave their homes and spend the night at the barangay chapel to ensure their safety.

Tumulak said he will meet with Kalunasan officials tomorrow to determine if they should allow the families to return home.

“Sitio Dapdap is  landslide-prone,” he said.

Anna Maria Garces, officer-in-charge of barangay Kalunasan disaster management team, said four houses were destroyed and one house was damaged by the fallen acacia tree.

Quiblat said “Lando” will make landfall on Sunday at Aurora, Isabela and its presence will strengthen the northeast monsoon. He said it’s possible they may issue a gale warning by that time.

“Lando” is the second storm to hit the country this month after “Kabayan.”