1999 Cherry Hills Subdivision landslide
Encyclopedia
On the night of August 3, 1999, a massive landslide
occurred in Cherry Hills subdivision in Antipolo City
, Rizal province, Philippines
that caused widespread damage and loss of life. The landslide was primarily caused by the heavy rains of the approaching typhoon Olga. The subdivision became a death trap when its foundations filled with water and the whole complex slid down the hill on which it was built.
house
s. The subdivision was owned and developed by Tirso Santillan, president of Philjas Corporation. The subdivision was located in barangay
San Luis, Antipolo City
, Rizal and was situated in an elevated terrain cut along the perches of the Sierra Madre mountains
.
Besides its location on the mountain cuts, Cherry Hill was flanked by two subdivision on its either sides.The eastern summit is at elevation of 255 meters while the western side is at elevation of 233 meters. The subdivision cut from the mountain side is approximately 26 meters at its deepest.
The subdivision encompasses five hectare
s with paved roads.
signs about a possible impending slide was rumored, and ominous signs of changes in elevation and ground movements have been observed.
At around 7:00 pm, on August 3, 1999, the landslide occurred,
Landslide
A landslide or landslip is a geological phenomenon which includes a wide range of ground movement, such as rockfalls, deep failure of slopes and shallow debris flows, which can occur in offshore, coastal and onshore environments...
occurred in Cherry Hills subdivision in Antipolo City
Antipolo City
Antipolo is a city in the Philippines located in the province of Rizal; about 25 kilometers east of Manila. It is the largest city in the Calabarzon Region in terms of population...
, Rizal province, Philippines
Philippines
The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...
that caused widespread damage and loss of life. The landslide was primarily caused by the heavy rains of the approaching typhoon Olga. The subdivision became a death trap when its foundations filled with water and the whole complex slid down the hill on which it was built.
Topography
Cherry Hills subdivision was home to hundreds of families paying-off low cost, concreteConcrete
Concrete is a composite construction material, composed of cement and other cementitious materials such as fly ash and slag cement, aggregate , water and chemical admixtures.The word concrete comes from the Latin word...
house
House
A house is a building or structure that has the ability to be occupied for dwelling by human beings or other creatures. The term house includes many kinds of different dwellings ranging from rudimentary huts of nomadic tribes to free standing individual structures...
s. The subdivision was owned and developed by Tirso Santillan, president of Philjas Corporation. The subdivision was located in barangay
Barangay
A barangay is the smallest administrative division in the Philippines and is the native Filipino term for a village, district or ward...
San Luis, Antipolo City
Antipolo City
Antipolo is a city in the Philippines located in the province of Rizal; about 25 kilometers east of Manila. It is the largest city in the Calabarzon Region in terms of population...
, Rizal and was situated in an elevated terrain cut along the perches of the Sierra Madre mountains
Sierra Madre (Philippines)
The Sierra Madre is a mountain range in The Philippines. It is located along the north-eastern coast of Luzon Island, running north/south. Quezon National Forest Park is situated in the range.-Geography:...
.
Besides its location on the mountain cuts, Cherry Hill was flanked by two subdivision on its either sides.The eastern summit is at elevation of 255 meters while the western side is at elevation of 233 meters. The subdivision cut from the mountain side is approximately 26 meters at its deepest.
The subdivision encompasses five hectare
Hectare
The hectare is a metric unit of area defined as 10,000 square metres , and primarily used in the measurement of land. In 1795, when the metric system was introduced, the are was defined as being 100 square metres and the hectare was thus 100 ares or 1/100 km2...
s with paved roads.
Event
Before the landslide occurred, several of its residents evacuated to the nearest other town because their houses began to manifest cracks on the wall. Tell-taleTell-tale
A tell-tale or telltale is an indicator, signal, or sign that conveys the status of a situation, mechanism, or system.-Automotive:...
signs about a possible impending slide was rumored, and ominous signs of changes in elevation and ground movements have been observed.
At around 7:00 pm, on August 3, 1999, the landslide occurred,