BRIDGE COLLAPSE. The Esperanza Bridge in Cavite’s upland town of Alfonso collapses as bridge easement and abutment foundation give way due to soil erosion, splitting the 50-meter bridge span in two, at the height of the river surge triggered by heavy rains on Sunday (Aug. 12, 2018). No casualty was reported in the incident and security measures have been placed to warn residents and motorists to ensure their safety and take alternative routes. (Photo courtesy of Alfonso MDRRMO)
NOVELETA, Cavite -- Around 277 residents in this town's coastal villages were rescued and relocated to the evacuation center on Sunday by the local Disaster Risk Reduction Management team due to storm surge affecting the shoreline communities caused by incessant rains.
Jeg Alix, head of Noveleta MDRRMO, said 74 families or 249 individuals from Barangay San Rafael 3 and another 17 families from Barangay San Rafael 4 were affected from the incessant southwest monsoon rains induced by Tropical Storm Karding.
Noveleta Mayor Dino Reyes Chua and officials immediately distributed relief goods at the evacuation site and coastal villages.
“Inilikas ho natin ang mga kababayan natin sa San Rafael evacuation center. Inaabisuhan po lahat ng residente na maging maingat at alerto (We have relocated the affected residents to the San Rafael evacuation center. We have advised all the residents there to stay safe and be alert),” Chua said.
Meanwhile, a 13 year-old girl in Tanza town was electrocuted due to floodwaters in Barangay Amaya 5. She was rushed to a nearby family clinic for medication and is now in stable condition.
The local government’s disaster risk reduction and management office also reported 20 houses destroyed by heavy rains and strong winds, prompting officials to relocate the families to the evacuation center.
The local disaster management office said around 450 residents from coastal Barangays Amaya 5 and Amaya 7 have been transferred to safer sites and at evacuation centers and were given relief goods by Tanza Mayor Yuri Pacumio and the town’s MDRRMO.
In Cavite City, Barangay San Antonio residents at the Sangley Point also experienced flooding due to heavy rains on Sunday afternoon.
In Rosario town, four families or 24 individuals from Barangay Sapa 3 were evacuated due to bad weather, according to local MDRRMO head Manny Pueblo.
Indang town Mayor Perfecto Fidel also led the clearing operation of a landslide near the Lulungisan Bridge in Barangay Kaytambog and Tambong Malaki here Sunday afternoon.
In Cavite’s upland town of Alfonso, the Esperanza Bridge collapsed when the bridge easement and abutment gave way due to soil erosion and split the 50-meter bridge span in two.
However, no casualty was reported in the incident and security measures have been placed to warn residents and motorists to ensure their safety and take alternative routes.
Local officials said the bridge was built in 1993 but its construction was later suspended due to technicalities, prompting the private subdivision construction to abandon the project. (Dennis Abrina/PNA)
