Classes suspended in Bohol due to floods

TAGBILARAN CITY, Philippines (Philippine News Agency) -- Classes in kindergarten, elementary and high school are still suspended Tuesday as the state weather bureau placed the entire Bohol province under yellow rainfall alert.

A yellow rainfall alert means "the expected rainfall amount is between 7.5 mm and 15 mm within one hour and likely to continue".

Gov. Edgar Chatto ordered the suspension of classes at 2 p.m. on Jan. 16, except at the tertiary level, due to hours of moderate to heavy downpour.

As the rain continued, the governor issued another advisory, suspending the classes on January 17 for kindergarten, elementary and high school provincewide.

“For colleges and universities, it is the discretion of the school administration whether to suspend the classes or not,” the governor said in the advisory.

Due to hours of moderate to heavy rains, several areas in Bohol have been flooded. Under PAGASA’s heavy rainfall warning system, it could already be placed under orange rainfall alert.

Under PAGASA’s heavy rainfall warning system, “the orange rainfall advisory is raised in areas where rainfall is between 15 mm and 30 mm within one hour, and flooding is a definite threat in communities under the orange alert.”

By 4 p.m. on January 16, floodwater already submerged the Camayaan Bridge in barangay Rosario, Cortes.

Loboc River also overflowed and flooded the highway and nearby communities up to knee-high.

Senior Inspector Raymond Halasan, chief of Loboc police, said five families in one barangay had been evacuated as of Monday and quick response teams continue responding to more families.

Sevilla Vice Mayor Richard Bucag also reported that the road from Sikatuna to Sevilla is impassable and motorists are advised to take the Balilihan-Cambagui to Sevilla and Bilar.

In Bilar, BISU-Bilar and Bilar Central Elementary School campuses have also been flooded. Authorities were forced to close the Riverside Bridge to motorists, while the road leading to Pangas Falls is also closed due to landslide.

Trinidad MDRRMO Diego Medina also reported that Kinan-oan Creek overflowed and was not passable as of yesterday morning.

Ipil River in Poblacion, Trinidad is already under Orange alert.

The Trinidad MDRRMO has been closely monitoring the situation in the town and said that once the rainfall situation reaches code red, riverside residents will be advised to evacuate.

The floodwater has also overflowed onto Kamambugan Bridge in Poblacion and spread up to the roads.

The Kamambugan Bridge in Trinidad has been impassable even prior to the flooding Monday because of road repairs.

Majority of the ricefields in Trinidad are also flooded.

Several areas in Catagbacan Sur in Loon have also been flooded since Monday.

In Clarin, the floodwater have also covered some ricefields and portions of the highway.

Anthony Damalerio, officer-in-charge of the Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office, said they continue monitoring situations in Bohol and have alerted all disaster risk reduction and management officers and local responders in the towns.

Ambulances and emergency equipment are also on standby for any situation needing quick response, Damalerio added.