Floods displace over 200 individuals in northern Cebu

Here is a photo of a flooded street in Sitio Avante, Barangay Busogon, San Remigio town northern Cebu taken on Wednesday afternoon, July 17. Heavy rain flooded several areas in northern Cebu, which prompted evacuation efforts of some residents in affected areas. 📸: Manoy Juan #CDNDigital

CEBU CITY, Philippines — More than 200 individuals from northern Cebu were preemptively evacuated following floodings due to the low-pressure area (LPA) that affected parts of Visayas and Mindanao on Wednesday, July 17.

At least nine localities here were affected by the floods on Thursday, the Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (PDRRMO) showed.

These are the towns of Catmon, Tabogon, Medellin, Borbon, San Remigio, Daanbantayan, Santa Fe, Sogod, and the city of Bogo.

Fortunately, there were no casualties reported.

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The PDRRMO, however, confirmed that Wednesday’s inclement weather injured a 40-year-old man after a rock landslide in a beach in Catmon town.

“Sa pagkakarun, nag sige pa gihapon og monitor atong mga local disaster units,” said Wilson Ramos, information officer at PDRRMO, during an interview on Thursday, July 18.

A separate compilation of reports and advisories from local governments made by members of the media also showed that over 200 people had been evacuated, all from northern Cebu.

In Daanbantayan, located at the northern most tip of Cebu, at least 158 individuals were evacuated while 80 more in San Remigio were relocated to safer areas.

Santa Fe in Bantayan Island and Bogo City also recorded 50 and nine families who got evacuated on Thursday evening respectively.

Heavy rains experienced in Cebu last Thursday was due to the presence of the LPA that also resulted in severe floods and landslides in other parts of the country.

According to the Philippine Atmospheric Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration in Mactan (Pagasa-Mactan), they issued three heavy rainfall advisories for northern Cebu within a span of several hours.’

The LPA dumped a lot of rainfall in northern Cebu, said Jhomer Eclarino, weather specialist at Pagasa-Mactan.

READ MORE: Pagasa: Wet, cloudy Thursday in most of PH

Last Thursday, the state weather bureau’s monitoring station in Tuburan town recorded 124.5 millimeters of rain within a span of 24 hours- which is equivalent to half of the average rainfall for July.

The average rainfall in July is 210.6 millimeters.

To put it in comparison, 124.5 millimeters is equal to the volume of water found in approximately 50 Olympic-sized swimming pools.

In the meantime, chances of the LPA intensifying into a tropical depression has lessened. It was last spotted hovering over Catbalogan City in Samar as of Thursday.

Pagasa-Mactan has reminded the public to continue monitor weather updates and rainfall advisories, particularly those living in flood-prone and landslide-prone areas.