A ROAD in Carcar City, Cebu province is flooded after a spillway overflowed at the height of tropical depression ‘Verbena’ on Tuesday, Nov. 25. (Carcar DRRMO)
CEBU CITY – At a time when northern Cebu is still reeling from a strong earthquake and devastating typhoon, the southern part of the province experienced severe flooding caused by tropical depression ‘’Verbena.’’
Fortunately, no casualties were reported when the weather disturbance flooded most parts of southern Cebu on Tuesday, Nov. 25.
Dennis Pastor, head of the Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (PDRRMO), said the zero casualty reflected that province’s effect disaster response that included preemptive evacuations.
“This is the best response, zero casualties,” Pastor told reporters on Tuesday.
Verbena made landfall in Talisay City past 2 a.m. on Tuesday. It caused heavy flooding before it moved to Negros.
Pastor said heavy flooding was reported in Ronda, Dumanjug, and Barili. A spillway in Carcar City overflowed, causing water to rise in some areas.
He said local government units in southern Cebu were reminded to comply with enforcing preemptive evacuations before Verbena could arrive.
"Non-complacent. If you're complacent, you're affected,” Pastor said.
Gov. Pamela Baricuatro commended local officials for following provincial guidelines and carrying out preemptive evacuations.
In Barili, Richel Montemayor, head of the town disaster response office, said barangays that were flooded included Poblacion, Manga, Paril, Santa Ana, San Rafael, and Libongan.
More than 120 families were affected when Santa Ana River, the largest river in the municipality, overflowed past 2 a.m. on Tuesday.
Montemayor said most of the evacuated families returned home after the flood subsided.