CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY (MindaNews / 22 Jan) – Vehicular traffic between this city and Butuan was reopened Wednesday morning after engineers and workers worked overnight, building a temporary bridge and clearing the road of landslides.
Edmundo Pacamalan, Misamis Oriental provincial administrator, said workers managed to build a one-lane bridge to temporarily replace the Mambayaan Bridge in Balingasag town that was swept away by floodwaters last Monday.
At the same time, Pacamalan said workers and engineers cleared the highway of tons of dirt in Anakan, Gingoog City after torrential rains triggered four landslides also last Monday.
Pacamalan said the highway between Cagayan de Oro and Butuan cities was opened for traffic around 2 a.m. Wednesday.
“Our workers did not mind the freezing rain and they managed to put up a temporary bridge,” Pacamalan said.
Pacamalan said workers also managed to clear the portion of the highway that was blocked by landslides in Anakan, Gingoog City Tuesday afternoon.
The Misamis Oriental Disaster Risk Reduction Management Council also reported that Coast Guard personnel successfully rescued 40 people stranded in a small islet in Barangay San Nicolas, Jasaan town Tuesday morning.
San Nicolas barangay chair Arsenio Nabo said the rescuers used a rubber boat to cross the raging waters of Cabulig River after an earlier attempt by Army soldiers on Monday failed.
Nabo said the rescuers made several trips to rescue the stranded residents, including a three-month-old baby in Purok 4 in Barangay San Nicolas.
The Misamis Oriental disaster management council said 200 families or 1,500 persons who earlier evacuated from Barangay Kibanban in Balingasag town after the Musi-musi River burst from its banks late Monday afternoon have already gone home Wednesday afternoon.
Pacamalan said three persons died in Gingoog City and Salay town at the height of tropical depression “Agaton” last Monday.
The fatalities were identified as Marlon Uy, who drowned while swimming in Gingoog on Jan. 19 and; and Richard Bustamante and his son Jerry when a coconut tree fell on their hut in Barangay Casulog, Salay Monday morning.
“Agaton” also forced 1,566 families or 6,600 persons to evacuate in Cagayan de Oro after the city government implemented “Code Red” or forced evacuation last Monday.