Cebu drowns in deluge

By Jesse C. Ong

A torrent of unprecedented flooding swept through Cebu City and neighboring towns last week as Typhoon Tino (international name Kalmaegi) unleashed record rains that caught residents off guard and left widespread devastation in its wake.

The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) reported that Cebu bore the brunt of the storm, with 71 of the 114 confirmed fatalities nationwide coming from the province. 

Many victims, officials said, were trapped in their homes or swept away by fast-rising floodwaters that inundated communities once considered safe from severe flooding.

Some survivors described the deluge as unlike anything they had seen before. Streets turned into rivers within minutes, cars were submerged, and entire barangays were left without power or communication. Emergency responders struggled to reach stranded families as waist-deep to roof-level floods engulfed low-lying areas.

“We didn’t expect the waters to rise that fast,” said an elderly resident of Madridejos town, recalling how she and her children sought refuge on their rooftop. “It was terrifying—we could hear houses collapsing.”

The disaster has displaced tens of thousands of families, with many still housed in evacuation centers. Across the Visayas and Mindanao, Typhoon Tino has affected nearly two million people, with 127 still missing and 82 reported injured.

Local officials admitted that drainage systems were overwhelmed by the sheer volume of rain, while mountain runoff triggered landslides that compounded the flooding.

Meanwhile, rescue and relief teams continue to operate around the clock as President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. directed national agencies to provide swift relief assistance to Cebu and other provinces gravely affected by the onslaught of Typhoon Tino.

For now, the floodwaters have begun to subside—but the scars left by the disaster, both physical and emotional, will take much longer to heal.