Cebu City under state of calamity

Local

WITH some streets inundated, landslides reported, and communities scrambling for relief, Cebu City has been placed under a state of calamity.

The Cebu City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (CCDRRMC) on Friday, July 18, recommended the declaration to accelerate emergency response and free up disaster funds.

The Cebu City Council approved the measure in a special session later in the day.

The monsoon system, intensified by Tropical Storm Crising, has battered Metro Cebu since Wednesday, July 16, leading to waist-deep floods in low-lying barangays and triggering localized landslides across the city. Weather forecasters warn the downpour may persist until Saturday.

“As now [dapat] mag prepare nata,” said Cebu City Mayor Nestor Archival Sr. in an interview.

“From the reports of Oscar Tabada and our department heads, klaro kaayo nga kinahanglan na gyud og declaration. We could still face 8 to 10 typhoons from now until December,” Archival said. “We don’t have enough equipment. That’s why we’re declaring a state of calamity.”

Archival noted that desilting rivers and repairing damaged waterways are top priorities, but acknowledged the city lacks heavy equipment for upstream and river mouth dredging. The mayor also confirmed that Cebu City still has over P60 million in its calamity fund.

“We have to use it efficiently. Dili ni igo kung pasagdan lang,” he said.

Councilor Dave Tumulak, head of the city’s disaster council, said the local government has activated its Incident Command System (ICS) to synchronize response efforts across all barangays.

“The flooding last Tuesday was worsened by clogged rivers and a high tide,” Tumulak explained. “The declaration will allow us to implement clearing, desilting, and drainage repairs without delay.”

He also mentioned that the city has already implemented protocols for the quick deployment of emergency buses, rerouting by the Cebu City Transportation Office (CCTO), and relief efforts by the Department of Social Welfare and Services (DSWS).

“Wala ta’y casualty. That’s something to be thankful for,” Tumulak said. “We are addressing the gaps and reinforcing communication systems, especially in mountain barangays.”

The city has dispatched teams to Adlaon, Lusaran, and other remote areas to reestablish radio communications where cell service is limited.

Public school classes remained suspended Friday, with the city monitoring weather conditions closely for possible resumption by Monday, July 21.

So far, 62 families or 263 individuals from Barangay Cogon Pardo have been affected, said DSWS chief Portia Basmayor.

Earlier, Veteran meteorologist Oscar Tabada, former Pagasa-Visayas director, described the rains as unusually intense, triggered by supercell thunderstorms, systems known for short bursts of extreme rainfall.

While Crising remains distant from the Visayas, it continues to feed moisture into the region, intensifying monsoon activity.(TGP)