TYPHOON TO BRING RAINS IN CEBU; DOWNPOUR UPROOTS TREES IN SIBONGA

Cebu will experience light to moderate rains as Typhoon Mangkhut (international name) enters the Philippine Area of Responsibility tomorrow. Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa) Mactan chief Alberto Quiblat said that the typhoon, which is about 2,440 kilometers east of northern Luzon, will be named Ompong once it enters the country. Quiblat said that the typhoon has winds of up to 140 kilometers per hour (kph) near the center, and gustiness of up to 170 kph. Aside from rain, Quiblat also said that a gale warning is expected to be issued in the Visayas since the weather disturbance and habagat (southwest monsoon) will create an unfavorable condition for vessels at sea. Due to the downpour over the past days, an old acacia tree in Barangay Poblacion, Sibonga was uprooted around 8:30 a.m. yesterday. It blocked the national road, resulting in traffic. Because of this, vehicles were diverted to the town’s inner roads. Private vehicles and buses from Argao going to Cebu City and vice versa were ordered to use the Sibonga-Dumanjug Road. A person with disability was also injured after one of the tree’s branches hit him on the head. Around 10 a.m., two trees were also uprooted in Barangay Bagacay and Sibonga National High School, respectively. Damiano Ofqueria Jr. of the Local Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office attributed the incidents to the heavy rain experienced by the town last Sunday night. Sibonga sought the help of the Cebu Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office in clearing the blocked roads since they lack equipment. /