• RICHARD T. CABALLERO JR.
Facilities tagged unsafe in Negros Occidental are still under assessment, after several minor cracks were observed at the structures caused by the 6.9 magnitude earthquake centered in Bogo City, Cebu that was also felt in the province on September 30.
Sipalay City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Dionilo Bogtae said that the structural integrity of the six classrooms of Gil Montilla National High School which were tagged unsafe are still under assessment.
Affected students were placed under modular mode of learning, Bogtae said.
Meanwhile, Provincial Engineer Ernie Mapa said yesterday that the 3rd to 5th floors of the Cadiz City District Hospital are also still under assessment to ensure that the facility will be safe for the patients
“We are still finalizing the assessment, but we will provide the signal if it can be utilized again,” he stressed.
Moreover, a portion of the ceiling at the nurse’s station on the second floor of the hospital was reportedly damaged on Wednesday, due to heavy rains.
Mapa said that the damage to the ceiling was caused by the water that overflowed from the gutter, which filled the ceiling and resulted in damage.
“That area was saturated by water; that is why it gave up. The personnel of the Cadiz District Hospital are already fixing the damage,” he said.
Authorities reported no injuries and other damage from the incident to the facility that had been used as a COVID-19 ward.*
