Cebu families spend rainy New Year at evac centers

CEBU CITY – Some 600 families in Toledo City spent New Year’s Eve at emergency shelters after it rained the whole day on Sunday, flooding five barangays.

Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (PDRRMO) Spokesperson Julius Regner said several houses in barangays Sangi, Luray, Ibo, Bato and Daanlungsod were flooded.

“Last night (Sunday) till 3 a.m. of January 1, the water level reached 7 feet but as of Monday morning, the water level has decreased,” Regner told Manila Bulletin Monday.

“We did not allow the evacuees to go back to their homes because the rain has not stopped yet,” he added.

The evacuees sought shelter at barangay halls and the Marcelo Barba Sports Complex in the Poblacion.

Others stayed with relatives or friends, Regner said.

PDRRMO reported no casualties from the floods, as of Monday morning

Regner the agency was still collecting data, including the total number of residents displaced.

The Toledo City government has distributed food packs to flood victims.

Toledo, about 28 kilometers from Cebu City, is composed of 38 barangays.

Some flood victims turned to social media to plead for prayers.

Nikko Dajao, a Toledo resident, said that though his family spent the New Year amid flood, heavy rain and strong winds, he is still thankful they are safe.

“Please continue to pray for our city, Toledo and neighboring towns… Still, a happy new year,” Dajao said in a Facebook post.

Myrna Cajocson, another Toledo resident, found it hard to say ‘Happy New Year!”

“Here in our place, we can’t hear noise of even simple firecrackers, what we hear is the impending sound of rain. I bought “torotot” but I just can’t pick it up… Fervent prayers for no casualties,” Cajocson said.

The Philippine Atmospheric Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) on Sunday said the tail-end of the cold front will bring scattered showers and thunderstorms over Bicol Region and the Visayas, which could trigger flash floods or landslides.