Samsam reminds constituents to be ready for evacuation amid Monday downpour

Talisay City Mayor Gerald Anthony “Samsam” Gullas Jr. | file photo via Talisay City PIO

MANDAUE CITY, Cebu – After a heavy downpour in Metro Cebu on Monday morning, September 20, 2021, Talisay City Mayor Gerald Anthony “Samsam” Gullas is reminding his constituents to be ready to be evacuated if the need arises.

In a Facebook post on Monday morning, Gullas urged his constituents to be prepared for evacuation due to possible flooding and landslides in the city which is just approximately 12 kilometers south of Cebu City.

“Since wala paman mahuman ang uwan, ako lang unta tamong hangyoon nga kung necessary na gyud nga moevacuate tungod sa taas nga baha or tungod sa tendency nga maglandslide sa inyung lugar, let us be prepared for that,” said Gullas.

(Since the rain hasn’t stopped, I just want to ask you to be prepared to be evacuated if necessary due to floods or the tendency for landslides to happen in your area.)

“Let’s listen and heed to the advice of our local disaster or our barangay responders if they will call for a forced evacuation,” he added.

Gullas noted that he received a report from the local disaster risk reduction and management office (LDRRMO) that three families were already evacuated in Barangay Dumlog due to the rains. He said the families consisted of 23 individuals living in the riverside area of the barangay.

“They were forced to evacuate after our disaster officials found that the ground where their houses are situated was already unstable and eroded because of the heavy rains. They are now evacuated to their relatives,” he said.

The mayor also said he requested the City Social Welfare Office (CSWO) to provide assistance to the evacuated families and that all the available relief goods were put in standby should there be many additional evacuees.

Cebu and the rest of the Visayas is expected to experience light to moderate on Monday until Tuesday, September 21, due to the  Intertropical Convergence Zone,  said Jhomer Eclarino, a weather specialist at Pagasa-Mactan.

READ: Rainy Monday in Cebu, rest of Visayas

/bmjo