Lapu-Lapu City to evacuate residents of ‘submerged' island as seawater floods houses

SUBMERGED ISLAND. Lapu-Lapu City Mayor Junard Chan puts on a life vest prior to boarding a pump boat to verify a report that the entire Caubian Island is submerged in seawater on Monday (Oct. 11, 2021). The mayor said it was the first time that Caubian, the smallest and farthest island barrio in Lapu-Lapu City, was flooded with seawater. (Contributed photo)

CEBU CITY – Lapu-Lapu City Mayor Junard Chan on Monday announced his plan to evacuate more than five hundred residents of Barangay Caubian after the whole islet went under seawater before dawn on Monday.

Chan has sent food supplies to the affected residents of the city's smallest and farthest village.

He said he received a message after midnight that houses were already submerged in seawater, with residents expressing fear for their safety.

“It’s the first time in history that seawater enters the houses of the island residents of Caubian. We need to check if they are still safe there or if there’s a need to evacuate them to a safer place,” Chan said in a video message.

After visiting the island barangay Monday afternoon, Chan revealed his plan to evacuate the residents to the mainland of Lapu-Lapu City.

Earlier, the city deployed a team headed by Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office head Nagiel Bañacia to Caubian to verify the report that the islet was submerged in seawater due to high tide at around 1 a.m.

The team brought food packs, rice, and canned goods to be distributed to the residents, as the mayor’s office coordinated with acting village chief Paterno Uy for their immediate needs.

(File photo of the island)

Caubian island is affected by harsh weather condition brought about by Tropical Storm Maring that is also being experienced in other portions of the Visayas and Mindanao, Chan said.

It is included in the Olango island group situated east of Mactan, Cebu.

Caubian is divided into two – the Caubian Gamay where the residents live, and Caubian Dako, also called Poo by the locals, which is an uninhabited area with crystal blue water and white sand beach.

The island village is an hour's travel by pump boat from the Angasil port and 40 minutes away from the Sta. Rosa Port. (PNA)