'Odette' leaves 8 dead in Cebu City; state of calamity declared in Cebu province
CEBU CITY – Long lines of people can be seen in various areas here as they desperately try to fetch drinkable water.
Some roads have also become congested due to long lines of vehicles refueling in some gasoline stations that managed to remain operarional despite a massive power outage.
Most roads have also yet to be cleared from debris while some residents scamper to repair their damaged houses.
These are the common scenes that can be seen in the aftermath of typhoon Odette that battered Metro Cebu on Thursday night.
The Cebu City Disaster Council on Saturday, Dec. 18, reported that eight persons died due to typhoon Odette while at least 200 others were injured.
One landslide was reported while at least 14 structures collapsed.
The City Council was set to hold a special session Saturday for the declaration of state calamity.
Once a state of calamity is declared, the city will be releasing P300 million as calamity funds.
In Cebu province, Governor Gwendolyn Garcia has placed the province under a state of calamity so that funds needed to assist typhoon victims could be released.
A day after the strong typhoon struck, Garcia tried to inspect the damage but her convoy could not get through due to fallen trees and electric posts.
The governor's convoy got stuck in Sibonga town before it decided to return to Cebu City.
Neil Sanchez, chief of the Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (PDRRMO), said they cannot assess yet the extent of the damage as communications remained down.
"As to casualties, we cannot say yet if there is or there is no casualties. Our communications have been cut off. So what we are going to do is we have to go town to town," Sanchez.
Sanchez said the PDRRMO will prioritize clearing the roads from debris.
The governor met with contractors on Saturday, Dec. 18, so that equipment can be immediately deployed for road-clearing.
"That is in order to clear national roads and I know that there are a lot of barangays that are still inaccessible so will make coordination so that we would know which particular barangays need immediate access" matod ni Garcia.
Aside from providing relief goods, Garcia said the province will also provide housing materials to affected residents.
"We will focus on providing the affected families with first of all GI sheets, plywood, framing, lumber, nails," said Garcia.
Garcia was also scheduled to meet with officials of Cebu Electric Cooperative (CEBECO) and Visayan Electric to discuss power restoration efforts.