More rain expected on Friday; Capitol asks school officials to be vigilant

Classes were suspended in three towns and a city in Cebu yesterday, on account of rain. A low-pressure area is expected to bring more rain on Friday, the weather bureau said, but the weather should imA6 prove on Saturday.

The Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa) yesterday said another low-pressure area (LPA) will enter the Philippine area of responsibility (PAR) tomorrow.

Pagasa Mactan Chief Al Quiblat said the LPA’s effect will be felt on Friday, with light to moderate and at times heavy rainfall to be expected.

Quiblat said the wind will be from 30 to 40 kms. per hour, and the waves will be as high as 1.25 meters to 2.5 meters.

“There will be no gale warning,” Quiblat said.

The LPA is expected to dissipate on Saturday.

Quiblat said that Pagasa issued yesterday a red alert for Metro Cebu and Camotes Island, and an orange alert for the rest of Cebu, Bohol and Southern Leyte, and yellow in Negros Oriental.

He said the colors represent the amount of rainfall expected.

“Yellow is seven to 15 mm rainfall within the next three hours. Flooding is possible. Orange is 15 mm to 30 mm in the next three hours and flooding is threatening. Red is 30mm and above in the next three hours, which is a serious threat for flooding.

Although there was no report of flooding or landslide yesterday, the Cebu City Disaster Risk Reduction Management Office (CCDRRMO) raised a yellow alert warning in the city.

Nagiel Bañacia, CCDRRMO head, said the alert system will be in place until today.

Bañacia said that all barangay disaster councils have been directed to be on standby and be ready should an evacuation be needed.

As of 2:30 p.m., school principals in both the mountain and urban barangays were already given the discretion to suspend classes should ground movement and/or rise in water levels be observed, especially in areas close to riverbanks.

Despite the LPA, the Cebu Provincial Government will not declare a suspension of classes in all towns and cities under its jurisdiction.

Yesterday, four local government units in Cebu suspended classes in all levels due to heavy rains brought about by the LPA.

Baltazar Tribunalo, Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (PDRRMO) head, told SunStar Cebu they will not recommend a suspension of classes today but will monitor localized hazards in some towns and cities.

But should the weather worsen, Tribunalo advised local officials and school heads to cancel classes, especially if their schools are located in flood- and landslide-prone areas.

When heavy rains hit Cebu yesterday, the City of Naga and the towns of Tabogon, Asturias and Balamban suspended their classes.

Tribunalo said that some of the local government units started suspending their classes after Pagasa issued a red rainfall alert in some parts of Metro Cebu and Camotes Island.