Public schools take another day to clean up

Two public schools were unable to resume classes yesterday due to floods spawned by Sunday’s heavy rains and damages caused by storm Saomai.

Teachers and staff of San Vicente and Gregorio T. Camacho Elementary Schools trooped to the schools to help in the cleanup of water, mud and other debris in classrooms and school grounds.

At GTC, a big area remains under two to four inches of water while some instructional materials are still soaking wet. The school cafeteria and administration office were also affected by the downpour.

Majority of the 13 classrooms at SVS were not spared by the typhoon and Sunday’s heavy rains.

Garapan Elementary School almost postponed classes yesterday. “When I came to survey the campus, mud and debris flowed all over our low-lying areas,” said GES Principal Juan Babauta.

With assistance from the fire division, Mr. Babauta said they were able to clean up the campus late Sunday afternoon in preparation for the resumption of classes the next day.

“The drainage system we have developed for more than a year has helped us mitigate what could otherwise have been a much worse situation. I also thank the officers who helped me clean the place up so students can be safer,” said Mr. Babauta.

SVS and GTC teachers and staff with aid from the Public School Central office also combined their efforts the clear the campuses of debris and mud.

“There has been great damage to our classrooms. We would have to get rid of the carpets in there. And we also have some wet books and our laminated films were ruined.
We’re trying to dry it but I don’t know if we can still use it,” said SVS administrative assistant Mary Brown yesterday.

Meanwhile, GTC Principal Billy A. Billy said the mud which filled the GTC cafeteria early Monday morning was very unsafe for school students.

“For health and safety reasons, we had to declare classes postponed,” said the principal.

Its past experience with floods has prompted GTC to be step up typhoon preparedness.

“There has been no substantial damages. The teachers knew what to do. We have stopped using carpets two years ago because we know this school has flooding problems,” said Mr. Billy.

The campus’ drainage system reportedly contributed to the flooding. “We need to upgrade our drainage system. I think PSS has plans to address this problem,” he added.

SVS and GTC students are expected to report to class today.