CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY (MindaNews / 5 February) — The Department of Public Works and Highways in Region 10 temporarily closed a major road link famous for its mountain resorts in Claveria, Misamis Oriental and another mountain highway in this city as Tropical Storm “Basyang” (international name: Penha) inched closer to Mindanao on Thursday.
This as Cagayan de Oro, Mayor Rolando Uy declared the suspension of work for all government offices within the city effective noon Thursday until Friday noon. Uy earlier suspended face-to-face classes for all elementary and secondary schools in the city.
In neighboring Iligan City, Mayor Frederick Siao likewise suspended classes in all levels, in both public and private schools, from Thursday until Friday, upon recommendation of the
Iligan City Risk Reduction Management Office to ensure the safety of students, teachers and school personnel.
The Office of Civil Defense, meanwhile, issued at 5:08 p.m. a “heavy rainfall warning” for Davao de Oro, Bukidnon and Misamis Oriental on its Facebook page. “Maging Handa! Nagbabanta ang matinding pag-ulan, pagbaha, at pagguho ng lupa,” it warned.
DPWH-10 temporarily closed the Gingoog City-Claveria-Villanueva highway at noon Thursday due to possible landslides along certain sections of the road.
Shortly after, DPWH-10 also closed the Lumbia-Uguiaban Bypass Road in Barangay Dansolihon. “While no landslides have occurred yet, the risk remains high,” the agency said in its Facebook page.
“To ensure public safety, warning signs and road barriers have been installed in both entry and exit points. Traffic personnel are also on-site to direct motorists and monitor the situation,” DPWH-10 said.
In Lanao del Norte, municipal governments that have suspended classes at all levels include Pantao Ragat, Baloi, Linamon, Bacolod, Maigo, Tangcal and Magsayay, according to Abeliza Manzano, head of the Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction Management Office.
The PAGASA weather bureau said that as of 4 p.m. Thursday, the center of Tropical Storm Basyang was estimated at 150 km east of Hinatuan, Surigao del Sur, moving northwestward at 25 kilometers per hour.
The Northern Mindanao Regional Disaster Risk Reduction Management Council in its pre-storm assessment on Thursday, said Basyang has the potential to affect 423,886 persons or 84,772 families. The agency said 1,299 barangays in the provinces of Misamis Oriental, Misamis Occidental, Bukidnon, Camiguin and Lanao del Norte is at risk of Basyang. (Froilan Gallardo and Richel V. Umel / MindaNews)
