‘Opong’ affects close to 1,000 families in Cebu

Local

CLOSE to 1,000 families in Cebu were affected by severe Tropical Storm Opong.

The Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (PDRRMO) on Friday, Sept. 26, said 977 families or 3,952 individuals took shelter in evacuation centers in northern Cebu.

Evacuees in Bogo City already returned home, but hundreds remained in temporary shelters in Madridejos, Daanbantayan, San Remigio, Tudela, Santa Fe, and Bantayan.

In Daanbantayan, more than 1,300 residents stayed in schools and barangay halls, while Madridejos recorded 1,801 evacuees. San Remigio and Tudela also accommodated displaced families in municipal facilities.

The storm disrupted sea travel and stranded 217 passengers, 112 cargoes, and four vessels in northern and central Cebu ports. Authorities cancelled trips in Danao, Tabuelan, San Remigio, Maya (Daanbantayan), and Polambato (Bogo).

Truck drivers stranded in Maya stayed at the town’s tourism office, while Tabuelan housed passengers in its isolation facility.

Strong winds knocked down a tree that damaged a house in Minglanilla, but the incident caused no casualties.

In San Fernando, a landslide occurred without injuries.

Rescuers from the Coast Guard and Bantay Dagat found a 35-year-old fisherman from Poro alive after he went missing earlier.

Local governments suspended classes in all 50 municipalities and Mandaue City, except Boljoon which suspended only public schools. San Remigio also stopped work in both government and private offices.

Gov. Pamela Baricuatro directed all hospitals and rural health units to go on Code White Alert and ordered clearing operations in storm-hit areas, including Bogo City where workers removed debris and fallen branches early Friday.

At 11:00 a.m., Opong packed maximum sustained winds of 110 kph and gusts up to 150 kph, moving west at 35 kph after passing Sibuyan and Tablas Islands in Romblon toward southern Mindoro.

The PDRRMO urged residents to stay alert in flood- and landslide-prone areas and to rely on official advisories for updates.(MyTVCebu)