Tropical Depression Verbena Submerges Southern Cebu
Tropical Depression Verbena made landfall in Talisay City at 2:40 a.m. on Tuesday, November 25, 2025, triggering widespread flooding across Cebu Province. Despite the severe impact, disaster officials reported zero casualties due to successful preemptive evacuation measures implemented before the storm's arrival.
The storm concentrated its heavy rainfall in southern Cebu, with the town of Dumanjug recording an astonishing 201 millimeters of rain within 24 hours. According to Jhoemer Eclarino, chief weather forecasting specialist at Pagasa Visayas, although Verbena was classified as a weak tropical depression, it delivered significant rainfall throughout the Visayas region.
Barili Residents Face Devastating Flood Waters
The Municipality of Barili experienced some of the most severe flooding, with water levels rising above human height in multiple areas. Akim Montemayor, a 53-year-old resident of Barangay San Rafael, described being awakened past midnight as floodwaters from the Santa Ana River began overflowing.
"The high tide from the sea and the gush of water from the hill met, so the water level rose very quickly," Montemayor explained in Cebuano. The water rapidly climbed to nearly roof-level at his single-story home, forcing him to evacuate his family and neighbors to higher ground.
Montemayor lost furniture, garments, and appliances to the floodwaters, with many items completely swept away. The flooding began receding around 4 a.m. and had completely subsided by 6 a.m. He noted that while their area is flood-prone, this was the first time water levels reached higher than a person, compared to previous ankle-level flooding incidents.
According to Richel Montemayor, head of Barili's Local Disaster Risk Reduction Management Office, seven low-lying barangays along the Santa Ana River were affected: Poblacion, Santa Ana, San Rafael, Guibuangan, Gunting, Campanga, and Mantayupan. Approximately 126 families or 425 individuals were evacuated the night before the storm and have since returned to assess damage to their homes and properties.
Emergency Response and Provincial Coordination
In Carcar City, Mayor Patrick Barcenas reported no casualties following heavy rains that flooded Barangays Poblacion 1, 2, and 3. At least 300 families were preemptively evacuated late Monday night, November 24. The Cebu Provincial Hospital in Barangay Poblacion 2 experienced ankle-level flooding on its ground floor around 1 a.m., requiring patients and medical staff to relocate to upper floors.
Dennis Pastor, head of the Cebu Province Disaster Risk Reduction Management Council, praised the coordinated response. "I hope this continues na we have this alert status, kanang cooperation sa mga LGU advisory, non-complacent," Pastor stated, emphasizing the importance of maintaining vigilance and cooperation with local government advisories.
Governor Pamela Baricuatro commended local government units for their preemptive evacuation efforts and announced that the Provincial Government had dispatched 1,000 hot meals, food packs, and water to affected families. Additionally, prophylactic antibiotics were delivered to Carcar City to prevent outbreaks of leptospirosis and other water-borne diseases.
In Cebu City, Councilor Dave Tumulak, chairman of the DRRMO committee, reported zero casualties and no landslide incidents. "We achieved zero casualties because of the cooperation of the residents and their barangays," Tumulak affirmed in Cebuano.
Recovery Efforts and Weather Outlook
The damage assessment continues across affected areas, with reports of several houses damaged or collapsed, motor vehicles flooded, and livestock including hogs, poultry, and goats swept away by floodwaters.
On Olango Island in Lapu-Lapu City, at least 22 houses in Barangay Pangan-an were damaged by heavy rains and strong winds. Barangay Captain Junrey Casiao noted that this destruction exceeded that of Typhoon Tino earlier in November, which had damaged only five houses. Eight families living near the shoreline were evacuated around 1:40 a.m. when winds intensified.
Weather specialist Eclarino provided encouraging news for recovery efforts, stating that Cebu is expected to experience fair weather by Wednesday, November 26, with conditions projected to "return to normal" as Verbena dissipates. The tropical depression is forecast to exit the Philippine Area of Responsibility by Thursday, November 27.
As communities begin the difficult task of cleaning up and rebuilding, the successful evacuation efforts stand as a testament to the importance of early warning systems and community cooperation in disaster management.
