BY GEROME DALIPE IV
ILOILO City – Mayor Jerry Treñas suspended face-to-face classes in preschool to senior high school in both public and private institutions yesterday due to flooding caused by heavy rains triggered by the intensified southwest monsoon (Habagat).
About 17 low-lying barangays in Iloilo City were inundated, prompting the local government to prioritize the safety of students.
Tren̈as has also approved the recommendation of the Iloilo City Emergency Operations Center (OpCen)to suspend face-to-face classes today, Sept. 18, and shift to an alternative delivery mode of instruction.
The City Disaster Risk and Reduction Management Office (CDRRMO) monitored 15 millimeters after an hour of rainfall at around 7:10 a.m. yesterday.
The CDRRMO has advised barangays near the said hazard sensors to closely monitor the areas identified as high risk of flooding.
“Motorists are advised to take extra caution due to wet and slippery roads. The general public is advised to monitor advisories and be vigilant of these ever-changing weather conditions,” the CDRRMO advisory read.
The class suspension in the city remains after the state weather bureau reported that Iloilo City will still be experiencing cloudy skies with rain showers and thunderstorms until today.
PAG-ASA reported that moderate to heavy and at times intense rains (100-200 mm) will be experienced due to the interaction of Tropical Depression Gener and Tropical Cyclone Pulasan to the prevailing Southwest Monsoon weather system.
Iloilo City will be experiencing strong winds with gustiness of 25 – 40 km/h and rough to very rough seas with waves reaching 2.8 to 4.0 meters.
The state weather bureau reported that high tide is forecasted at 1.8 meters, or 5.9 feet today at 9:34 a.m. Strong winds and waves will prevail particularly along the coastal barangays, while in low-lying areas, flooding may occur due to persistent rains and the forecasted high tide.
This prompted Treñas to approve the recommendation of the Iloilo City Emergency Operations Center to suspend the face-to-face classes and shift to an alternative delivery mode of instruction today in pre-school to senior high schools in both public and private schools in the city.
“In this regard, to ensure the safety and general welfare of the children and the general public, the suspension of classes at the college level is hereby left to the discretion of their respective school administrators,” read Treñas’ order.
The suspension of classes aims to mitigate risks and ensure that schoolchildren are not exposed to dangerous conditions as the city continues to experience heavy downpours and flooding in vulnerable barangays.
Likewise, the city government is closely monitoring the flooded villages. These include Brgys. San Jose, Timawa Tanza, Baybay Tanza, Kahirupan, front of Tanza Church, Flores, Terminal Market, Magsaysay, Sooc, Loboc, Sinikway, portions of Oñate De Leon and Mirasol Streets going to Happy Homes Subdivision in Mandurriao; Magdalo and Divinagracia in Lapaz and San Isidro in front of Central Philippine University.
Authorities recorded over 46,000 families or 150,000 individuals affected by the intensified southwest monsoon in Western Visayas.
Data released by the Regional Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council 6 showed that about 9,000 families or 35,000 individuals are presently at the evacuation centers and four cases of death due to inclement weather.
The Antique Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council reported that 11,000 individuals have so far been affected by the prevailing bad weather conditions./PN
