Big waves, fierce winds batter Talisay shanties

Aurelia Baculpo, 50 of sitio Litmon barangay Dumlog Talisay City shows her damage house.

AURELIA Baculpo, her daughter and nephew know the drill.

They leave their house by the sea and evacuate to a small chapel nearby whenever the waves grow big and  winds start to howl.

Last weekend, Baculpo said they had to stay in the chapel for two nights because strong monsoon winds blew off  three roof sheets from their house.

“We want to transfer but we don’t  have a place for relocation,” Baculpo told Cebu Daily News.

“We’ve spent most of our lives here.”

Their house of light materials was among five structures in sitio Litmon in Dumlog, Talisay City  that were damaged by rough waves and wind over  the weekend, said outgoing Talisay City disaster risk reduction management officer Vince Monterde.

Second-hand tarpaulin posters covered the gap left by  missing roof sheets. Big waves  slammed against the seawall, sending sprays of water overhead.

The Baculpo family has been living in sitio Litmon for almost 30 years.

Huge wave at sitio Litmon barangay Dumlog Talisay.

“We lost our kitchen months ago. It was swept away by the big waves,” Baculpo said. Her family received P1,500 from the city government to fix the damage.

The house is about five steps away from the water. It hasn’t always been this way, Baculpo said.

About 20 years ago, she said their house was more than 20 meters away from the water.

“Dako na kaayo ug kausaban karon kay duol na kaayo ang dagat sa balay (A lot has changed. The sea seems nearer to our house),” she added.

A neighbor, Amelita Ubay, said they couldn’t leave the area because the sea is their only source of livelihood.

“We’ve  been living here for more than 30 years. My husband knows only fishing,” she said.

Monterde of the disaster risk management council said sitio Aroma in barangay Dumlog has been identified as relocation site for the affected families.

“They still prefer to stay because their livelihood is there,” he said.

A gale warning remained in effect yesterday, stranding 262 passengers and preventing 31 vessels and 36 motorbancas from leaving port, said Commodore Enrico Evangelista, Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) chief in Central Visayas.