A string of tragedies and a parade of weather disturbances struck Central and Eastern Visayas Regions in 2024.

At least 15 persons on board a truck were killed in an accident in Mabinay town, Province of Negros Oriental on February 22.

The victims were supposed to go to a flea market to purchase livestock, but the driver lost control of the truck and fell into a ravine in Sitio Tubod, Barangay Bulwang.

Evening on June 6, six fishermen died while another six were wounded in a fire that hit their fishing boat while sailing in the seawaters of Naga City, south Cebu.

The fishing banca was from Guilutugan Island in Masbate. Before the fire broke out, one of the two engines conked out.

A number of fire incidents struck various areas in Metro Cebu and the province.

Over 500 families or over 1,000 individuals in Barangay Looc, Mandaue City were displaced in a fire that razed their homes on March 12.

Earlier, close to 100 houses in Barangay Carreta, Cebu City were destroyed by a fire on January 8.

At least 80 houses in Barangay Poblacion, Talisay City were destroyed on January 24 because of a fire caused by a stove that was left unattended.

Faulty electrical wiring set nine classrooms in Sapangdaku, Cebu City on fire on fJanuary 25; 35 houses made of light materials were razed to the ground in Barangay Pahina Central, Cebu City on February 14; and four members of a family perished in a fire that hit Barangay Tinago on February 27 while they were fast asleep.

Aside from residential fire incidents, huge fire struck a warehouse, a poultry farm, and a factory in 2024.

A warehouse where plastic materials were stocked, located near a dumpsite in White Road Inayawan, Cebu City, was destroyed by a fire, while about 10,000 chickens were burned alive in a fire that struck a huge poultry farm in Argao town, southern Cebu all on the same day, March 21.  

On May 16, a fire hit a factory that manufactured insulation foams in Barangay Pulpogan, Consolacion town, north Cebu. Damage left behind by the fire was pegged at P17.5 million.

Further, Eastern Visayas experienced massive flooding in October at the onslaught of Typhoon “Kristine” on October 23.

Eastern Visayas faced the fury of a parade of storms, a record-breaking phenomenon.

The five typhoons after Kristine were Leon, Marce, Nika, Ofel, and Pepito that struck Eastern Visayas just a few weeks, or days, apart.