Two dead, two injured and hundreds move to safer ground

CEBU, Philippines - Two people died, two were injured while hundreds of families fled their homes when floods swept several areas around Cebu Province the other night until early yesterday morning.

Several incidents of landslides were also reported in the mountain barangays of Cebu City.

Rains brought about by the low pressure area spotted over Mindanao fell over Cebu since late Monday morning.

Drowned

A mother and her daughter died in the northern town of Tabogon when they were swept away by floods.

The two women apparently tried to save an in-law, who was being swept by floodwaters while trying to cross a river with his motorcycle in Barangay San Isidro yesterday morning.

 Police identified the fatalities as Concina Monares Espinosa, 78, and her daughter Norma Frias, 53, of Sitio Lib-og, Barangay Salag. 

 A police investigator said Espinosa was on her way to the municipal hall with Frias to get her gift as a senior citizen and took a motorcycle driven by her son-in-law Dexter Oltiano of Lapu-Lapu City.

 When they reached the river bank the victims alighted from the motorcycle while Oltiano went ahead, but he was unable to cross due to the strong current.

A trunk of a banana plant, which was carried by the floodwaters hit Oltiano and his motorcycle sweeping them away.

He managed to get hold of a bamboo and pulled himself out of the water.

Sr. Insp. Alexander Ancao, chief of the Tabogon Police Station, said that Oltiano said that he could not anymore find his mother-in-law and sister-in-law when he looked for them after he saved himself.

“Possible nisuway ni sila og luwas ni Oltiano apan sila na hinuon ang naanod tungod sa kakusog sa tubig wa man sila kabantay nga naluwas na diay,” Ancao said.

 Police found Oltiano’s motorcycle at the port of Barangay Camobo-an.

 They then retrieved Espinosa’s body about 10 a.m. yesterday. It was found one kilometer away from the place of incident.

 Frias’ body was found in the seawaters of Barangay Camobo-an, about three kilometers away from Barangay San Isidro. She was found at 2:30 p.m.

Families evacuated

Hundreds of families were evacuated due to rivers that overflowed in various areas around Cebu.

The most number of families evacuated were in the town of Consolacion where the Cansaga River overflowed.

Consolacion Mayor Theresa Alegado ordered the town policemen to ensure that nobody goes back to their house while there is no go signal to do so to prevent fatalities.

Several families in the town of Liloan were also forced to move to safer ground and also in the cities of Danao and Mandaue.

The most severely affected barangays in Consolacion were Pitogo and Cansaga.

In Liloan town, five families were immediately evacuated after water reached chest-level in their houses.

 They were immediately housed at the Jubay Barangay Hall.

 Most of the families affected were residing at the riverbank of Cotcot in Barangay Cotcot.

 A subdivision in the town was also flooded with knee-high water when the concrete barrier preventing the water from overflowing broke.

Missing boy

A five-year-old boy from Sitio Salvacion, Barangay Maguikay, Mandaue City was reported missing after he was swept away by flood waters while at the Butuanon River.

Personnel of the Accident Control and Emergency Rescue Team (ACERT) received information from the Mandaue City Police that a boy was missing at around 2:45 p.m. yesterday.

They rushed to Butuanon River and tried to locate the boy but failed.

ACERT personnel said they are asking assistance from the Cebu Coast Guard officials to locate the boy.

Injured boy

A seven-year-old boy broke his leg after he was hit with a boulder that struck their house while they were sleeping in Barangay Media Once, Toledo City.

The victim was identified as Marvin Pañares. His eight-year-old sister, who was sleeping beside him, luckily only suffered a scratch on her face.

Their parents, Danilo and Felemeteria Pañares, who were sleeping in another room, survived unscathed.

In a report over radio station dyLA, the family was sleeping inside a bunkhouse in sitio Hayunan when a boulder suddenly went through the roof and hit the children.

Danilo serves as caretaker of the bunkhouse, which is owned by Carmen Copper Corporation.

The flood further compounded the woes of the family as the injured children could not be brought to the hospital.

They only managed to bring the children to the Toledo District Hospital at 5 a.m.

The boy was immediately transferred to the Vicente Sotto Memorial Medical Center in Cebu City where he is currently being treated. The girl remains at the district hospital.

Affected areas in the city

A total of 17 barangays were affected by floods and landslides.

In the report released late yesterday morning by the Cebu City government and the Cebu City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council, 13 barangays were flooded and four others reported landslides in their areas.

Flooding was reported in Sitios Mansawa, Campo and Binaliw 1-3 of Barangay Binaliw; Sitios Tigib to Babag II of Barangay Malubog; Lower Busay of Barangay Busay, Barangay Lusaran, Barangay Pulang Bato, Barangay Tagba-o; Sitio Sangi, Sitio Nangka and near the barangay hall of Barangay Sinsin.

The same also affected Barangay Taptap, Barangay Paril, Barangay Bonbon, and Barangay Pamutan.

Landslides were also reported in Barangay Agsungot going to Barangay Cambinocot, Sitio Pangpang in Barangay Buot, Cantipla 1 in Barangay Tabunan and Sitio Lanipao in Barangay Subangdako. –/NLQ (FREEMAN)