Cebu island death toll from Odette rises to 48

The death toll in Cebu island rose to 48, as more local disaster offices were able to transmit their data to the provincial government.

On Sunday, December 19, the Cebu Provincial Government conducted its second round of ocular inspections, this time in areas that were completely impassable to motor vehicles during the first two days after Odette.

Because communication lines are still down for most parts of the island, data on casualties and houses affected by the storm were reported to the helm late. From only two reported deaths in the town of Argao on Saturday, December 18, the death toll rose across 8 municipalities in south and southwest Cebu.

Below is a breakdown of casualties from local disaster offices:

• Alegria- 7
• Aloguinsan- 6
• Argao- 2
• Badian- 7
• Barili- 2
• Dumanjug- 6
• Moalboal- 2
• Pinamungajan- 1

Meanwhile, the independent city of Lapulapu recorded 8 deaths, while Mandaue City recorded 7.

Most of the deaths were residents crushed inside their homes while waiting for the typhoon to cease. The towns of Alcantara and Ronda both incurred no casualties. 

At least two persons remain missing in Alegria, and one in Badian.

Police Lieutenant Alexius Tangub of the Badian Police Station identified their reported missing person as Fr. Leo Fernandez, a parish priest.

“The devastation was so wide and so great. But… at minimal cost to human lives because of how our mayors – our chief executives – and our DRRMOs (disaster risk reduction management offices), and all of the officials acted. And I would like to emphasize that,” Cebu governor Gwendolyn Garcia commented during one of the inspection stops.

All local government units in the South reported that they were able to conduct preemptive evacuations before the storm. The town of Dumanjug even conducted forced evacuations with the help of police.

Damage

On average, town mayors across the 10 municipalities reported that about 95% of total households were severely to completely damaged by typhoon Odette.

“Ang among balay kay nawala gyud siya. Nahugpa ba. Then, dili na apud to siya mobangon, kanang na-down gyud siya maayo. Ang mga sanina didto kay nangabasa tanan og ang mga sin kay nanglupad sa layo,” said Janiel Leguiz, a 12-year-old resident of a coastal barangay in Alegria.

(Our house is gone. It collapsed. There’s no way we can put it back up, it really came down. Our clothes are all drenched and our roof flew far away [from where our house stood].)

Heaps of wood ang galvanized iron that were once houses, fallen lamp posts, and scattered furniture are uniform sights that line major streets in south Cebu. In the town of Alegria, one of the major roads leading to the municipal station was split in two, taking away one lane, which crumbled to the beachfront beside it.

In the popular beach town of Moalboal, mayor Paz Rosgoni told media that most hotels and commercial establishments have incurred damage from the storm. She’s yet to hear from all establishment owners.

“Sus, ang among mga resort pwerteng nangaguba,” she said. (Our resorts are heavily damaged.)

“Tanan nimo, makita nimo nga natulala sila. Naglingkod sa karsada… di manglihok. Mosturya nimo, manghilak. Mao to giingnan lang gyud nako sila nga kinahanglan gyud na magmalig-on gyud ta. Kay kung atong lingion wa ug tuo, tanan man ta,” she added.

(They (residents) were all stunned. They were sitting in sideroads… unmoving. When they’d talk to me, they’d cry. I told them we need to be strong. Because, when you look left and right, this happened to all of us.)

Access to aid

The clearing of the roads allowed the government to assess the damage and provide local government units access to aid.

The provincial government had already set aside 20,000 bags of rice to be distributed to all affected towns within the first week post-Odette. Garcia said another 20,000 bags will be distributed in the next week.

Residents and local chief executives expressed their immediate need for food supplies and materials to rebuild houses.

Garcia said she is set to meet with all mayors of the province’s 44 towns and six component cities on December 22. She will conduct an inspection on the province’s northern towns on December 21. – Rappler.com