Heavy rain floods school

A 30-minute downpour yesterday afternoon flooded some rooms at San Vicente Elementary School and rendered the intersection road in Dandan near Shell Gas Station impassable to vehicles for almost an hour.

The heavy rain inundated two classrooms and three administration offices at San Vicente Elementary School, prompting teachers and school officials to move papers and other items on top of tables, cabinets, and drawers.

At 3:05pm, the teachers and officials were still sweeping the floors of water and debris.

“The rain was so heavy that waters just started coming in to the school,” a school employee said.

The heavy rain also brought all kinds of debris, rocks, and corals into the road at the intersection of the Shell Gas Station in Dandan near the Marianas Baptist School.

Police re-routed vehicles to the Airport Road and back road as the water and debris at the intersection posed danger to vehicles.

Department of Public Works Secretary Jose S. Demapan said there was a heavy washout from the Kannat Tabla area that swept all the corals and debris down to the intersection road.

“The problem is the drainage. That’s one of our priorities… to address the drainage problem in Kannat Tabla,” Demapan said.

Actually there is already a design for the construction of the drainage and to pave the road, Demapan said, but DPW is still looking for funding in the amount of $1.5 million to $1.7 million.

“Once we identify the funds we are ready for the construction,” he said.

“In fact we were talking about that situation this morning during our directors’ meeting. One of our concerns is the rainy season. That’s why, during rainy season, we position our guys in those areas that have concerns, on those washouts to the road,” he said.

Dave Castro, DPW special assistant for operations, said it took them 45 minutes to clear the debris at the Shell intersection.

“There were all kinds of debris on the road: coconut trees, rocks, even a water heater, laundry, everything,” Castro said.

Castro said they brought their equipment, backhoe and dump truck to clear the area.

He said that large debris from Kannat Tabla clogged the drainage.

“The water will flow into the regular drainage. But the big debris just float onto the road,” he noted.

He said DPW also cleared the road of corals and debris at two other locations in San Vicente—near Nang Ocha and Tony Muna’s place.