Cebu towns reel from floods as Tino cuts power, water, communication

Massive floods and power outages have left several areas in Cebu struggling to recover from the wrath of Typhoon Tino this week, with local officials facing challenges in coordinating relief operations due to poor communication and disrupted utilities.

In an interview with Super Radyo dzBB on Wednesday, Cebu provincial public information officer (PIO) Ainjeliz Dela Torre-Orong said the local government convened an emergency meeting to address the continuing difficulties in restoring services.

She said relief coordination has been hampered by limited communication signals in several towns, making it difficult for the province to gather complete data on affected families and urgent needs.

"Wala kaming information from the LGUs… mahirap talaga for updating," she added.

(We're not receiving complete information from local governments—it's difficult to get updates.)

Relief, evacuation efforts underway

Dela Torre-Orong said that at least 119,000 individuals are currently in evacuation centers across Cebu province.

While most major roads have been cleared, she warned that access to some areas remains difficult due to slippery and flooded routes.

"May areas din po, although clear na 'yung roads, pero we have to take extra caution kasi madumi pa po talaga dahil sa flash floods," she said.

(Some roads are now passable, but we still need to take extra caution because many remain muddy due to flash floods.)

Among the hardest-hit towns are Liloan and Compostela, where telecommunication signals remain down. 

Despite the communication issues, Orong said prepositioned food packs from the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) are being distributed to affected areas.

Power has yet to be fully restored in several northern towns that were also affected by the recent magnitude-6.9 earthquake that jolted Bogo City and nearby areas.

Floods in the mountains

Dela Torre-Orong, who also resides in the upland area of Liloan, shared that even elevated communities, previously considered safe from flooding—were inundated for the first time.

"Wala sa mountains namin talagang flooding noon… pero grabe 'yung baha, hanggang first floor namin," she said.

(We've never had floods in the mountains before—but this time, the water reached up to the first floor of our house.)

She described the rise of floodwaters as "sudden and unprecedented," adding that even long-established subdivisions in elevated areas were submerged for the first time.

On alert for landslides

As of Wednesday, floodwaters have mostly receded in the affected communities, but the province remains on alert for possible landslides and renewed flooding as rains continue intermittently.

"Ngayon po wala na pong baha, pero closely monitoring the creeks and rivers kasi may scattered rains pa," Orong said.

(There's no more flooding now, but we're closely monitoring the creeks and rivers because there are still scattered rains.)

She added that while most affected areas have been reached by responders, some mountain towns such as Balamban remain difficult to access due to damaged roads.

"They were also badly hit… pero malayo because the main road going to Balamban is not accessible as of now," she said.

(They were also badly hit, but the main road to Balamban is still not accessible.)

Provincial authorities continue to coordinate with local governments, the DSWD, and the DPWH to restore essential services and deliver relief assistance to all affected families.

Flood control, quarrying under scrutiny

Meanwhile, the provincial government is also looking into possible causes of flooding. 

According to Dela Torre-Orong, Cebu Governor Pamela Baricuatro has ordered a review of flood control projects in the province.

Fifteen flood control projects under the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) are currently being evaluated following reports of flooding in areas that supposedly had flood mitigation systems, the Cebu provincial PIO said.

Baricuatro had also ordered a halt to quarrying operations in the province to ensure compliance with environmental standards. — VDV, GMA Integrated News