Wilma floods Bohol towns, sinks 2 floating restaurants

CATIGBIAN, BOHOL, Philippines – Heavy downpour for hours Monday due to tropical storm “Wilma” washed out a wooden bridge in Barangay Alegria of this earthquake-ravaged town, leaving the provincial road inaccessible to Barangay Baang, where the evacuation centers are situated.

In Cortes town, another earthquake-hit town, Brgy. Loreto was hit by flashfloods, while the national highway here, via Balilihan town, was rendered impassable for the whole night when the water of the Abatan River overflowed over the banks.

In Loay town, another earthquake-torn town, two of  the floating restaurants of  the Loboc River Cruise sank. Another was flushed out of the river and drifted somewhere off Pamilacan island, about several kilometers from the town port, according to Mayor Rosemarie Lim-Imboy in an exclusive interview.

Mayor Virgilio Lurot of Catigbian town told The Freeman yesterday that the flashflood destroyed the bridge in Alegria, however no one was hurt from the incident.

Lurot confirmed that it is now difficult to transport more relief goods to the evacuees at a center in Baang, where hundreds of families from four neighboring barangays took shelter at makeshift tents.

He said that the accessibility will be more circuitous for about seven kilometers from where the collapsed bridge via Barangays Triple Union and Liboron on the way to Baang.

In a visit of The Freeman yesterday, a resident Roger Unto said that both approaches of the bridge were no match to the rampaging flashfloods. “It was so swift that they’re caught by surprise that the water at waist deep flooded his house, about a meter from the bridge,” he said in the dialect.

“There’s nothing like this before, even before the worst typhoon “Nitang” in 1984 and “Ruping” in the 90’s,” he lamented. He was thankful however that his wife and son were safe.

A carabao was also carried out by floods, causing the owner to lose about  P30,000. “Gitiwasan og ihaw,” said another resident who added that the owner earned only P14,000 from the carabeef sold.

As this developed, Mayor Lurot said the Municipal Council, which held a session yesterday, approved resolutions to address immediately the problem of accessibility.

One of these resolutions urged the provincial government to immediately construct a new bridge at Barangay Alegria, while the other measure asked the provincial government to immediately institute rehabilitation of Barangay Triple Union-Liboron provincial road for accessibility to Barangay Baang, where the evacuation centers are located. (FREEMAN)