Tino brought 'worst' flash flood caused by a typhoon in Cebu—governor
Typhoon Tino (international name: Kalmaegi) caused the "worst" flash flood in Cebu's history, the province's Governor Pamela Baricuatro said.
Baricuatro stated that the flash flood affected 35 municipalities, caused 39 casualties, and forced around 119,000 individuals to evacuate.
Fifteen people died amid Typhoon Tino in Compostela, eight in Danao, nine in Mandaue, seven in Talisay, and nine in Cebu City.
Among the 35 affected municipalities, Talisay City, Mandaue City, Consolacion, Liloan, and Danao City were hit the worst in terms of damage to infrastructure and livelihood.
"It was by far the worst flash flood caused by a typhoon in the history of Cebu," she said in an interview on ANC," she said in an interview on ANC.
Baricuatro added that those affected by the previous 6.9 earthquake last Sept. 30 were spared from flash floods.
She noted that the flood waters "rose dramatically in less than 10 minutes."
"People [did not have] enough time na tumakbo. That's why they all have to do is to go to their roofs na lang. Kasi 'yun lang talagang mode of survival nila," she said. Baricuatro added that, a day before the typhoon hit the province, the local government had already raised the red alert.
"We did our part for preemptive evacuation. Pero 'yung iba, alam mo naman, may mga matigas ulo, they stayed behind. 'Yun 'yung talagang casualties," she added.
Tino entered the Philippine Area of Responsibility on Nov. 2, intensifying into a Severe Tropical Storm and into a typhoon the next day.
Several celebrities lamented the aftermath of the typhoon, which left destroyed houses submerged in muddy flood waters and deaths.
"Not another one. Hoping everyone in Cebu is safe," actress Angel Locsin, who was on social media hiatus, wrote on X.
"Are we all thinking the same—is it just because of the rain, or because something could’ve been done to prevent it? Hope authorities look into this as well so it doesn’t happen again," she added.
Beauty queen Beatrice Luigi Gomez, who hails from Cebu, also expressed dismay at the aftermath and called for accountability.
“Damages can occur during natural calamities, but with this much budget, preventive measures could’ve been made,” Gomez wrote in her now-expired Instagram story.
“Cebuanos prepared for this calamity; what else could have been done?” she continued. “This is exactly why we demand [these] kinds of projects, because people can only do so much. The rest is up to the agencies responsible.”
Beauty queen Winwyn Marquez echoed this.
“May bagyo nanaman pero no one is being held accountable pa din. Pag nagbaha na naman, what will they say this time?” she wrote in her now-expired Instagram stories. “While everyone keeps pointing fingers over these so-called flood control projects, has anything actually been done to truly help?” she added.
The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council said on Nov. 5 morning that Central Visayas recorded 50 fatalities while Western Visayas recorded two.
