Phivolcs raises Philippine tsunami alert level to 2

Local state seismologists raised the tsunami alert level to 2 in the Philippines on Sunday morning, advising the public to be on alert for unusual waves following an 8.8-magnitude earthquake that hit south-central Chile at 3:34 a.m. on Saturday (2:34 p.m. on Saturday in Manila).

"Based on tsunami wave models and early tide gauge records of the tsunami in the Pacific, coastal areas in Philippine provinces fronting the Pacific Ocean are expected to experience wave heights of at most one meter," the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs), said in its 7 a.m. advisory.

Phivolcs said the first tsunami waves would arrive between 1 p.m. and 2:30 p.m. and may not always be the largest. The waves may continue for hours, it added.

"People are advised to stay away from the shoreline during this period. People should not go to the coast to watch the tsunami. People whose houses are very near coastal areas facing the Pacific Ocean are strongly advised to go farther inland," the advisory said.

In Butuan City, about 14,900 residents from nine coastal municipalities facing the Pacific Ocean in the Caraga region have started leaving their homes towards higher ground since last night due to tsunami fear, the regional Office of Civil Defense here reported this morning.

"Hindi ito kalakasan (It won’t be that strong)," Jane Punongbayan, Phivolcs’ supervising science research specialist, told GMANews.TV in the phone interview.

She noted that the effects in Hawaii and New Zealand had not been as strong as the tsunami that hit a village on an island off Chile. The effects here, she added, thus would likely be even less severe.

With an engrossed world watching the drama unfold on live TV, a tsunami raced across a quarter of the globe on Saturday and set off fears of a repeat of the carnage that caught the world off guard in Asia in 2004.

Japan was still bracing for the prospect of three-meter waves, although the tsunami delivered nothing more than a brief blow to the US and South Pacific.

By the time the tsunami hit Hawaii — a full 16 hours after the quake — officials had already spent the morning ringing emergency sirens and ordering residents to go to higher ground. The tsunami caused no real damage in Hawaii and the islands were back to paradise by the afternoon.

There were no immediate reports of widespread damage, injuries or deaths in the US or in the Pacific islands, but a tsunami that swamped a village on an island off Chile killed at least five people and left 11 missing.

Wire reports said waves had hit California, but barely registered amid stormy weather. Despite reports of significant problems in coastal areas of California, no injuries or major property damage occurred.

The tsunami was set off by a fierce magnitude-8.8 earthquake in Chile that sent waves barreling north across the Pacific. But Pacific islands had ample time to prepare for the tsunami because the quake had struck several thousand miles
No big waves
Punongbayan said the waves are expected not to go beyond a meter high, adding that alert level 2 poses no real damage.

"Tsunamis were reported in other countries and it may reach our shores, but it won’t be as damaging," she said in Filipino.

She reiterated that there was no immediate danger, and a massive evacuation would be ordered only when the alert level reaches 3.

"When the tsunami reached Hawaii and New Zealand, the waves were low because the impact was not direct. We expect the waves to get even lower — not more than a meter — here," Punongbayan said.

She said residents near the coast fronting the Pacific Ocean should wait for about two hours once the first waves arrive this afternoon.

If no unusual waves are observed, they may return to their houses upon the advice of the Philippine Coast Guard. Watchers are assigned by the respective Barangay Disaster Coordinating Councils in affected areas to observe the waves.

While there is no evacuation order for the 19 provinces along the eastern coastline, people who live on beaches are advised to move a bit inland in anticipation of unusual waves.

“Boats in harbors, estuaries or shallow coastal water should return to shore. Secure your boat and move away from the waterfront. Boats already at sea during this period should stay offshore in deep waters until further advised," the Phivolcs said in its latest advisory.

Coastal areas fronting the Pacific Ocean of the following provinces should keep watch:

Batanes Group of Islands
Cagayan
Northernmost area of Ilocos Norte
Isabela
Quezon
Aurora
Camarines Norte
Camarines Sur
Albay
Catanduanes
Sorsogon
Northern Samar
Eastern Samar
Leyte
Southern Leyte
Surigao del Norte
Surigao del Sur
Davao Oriental
Davao del Sur

The earthquake in Chile was far stronger than the one that struck Haiti last month, but the death toll only ran in the hundreds compared with Chile’s about 220,000 since the South American country is wealthier and infinitely better prepared, with strict building building codes, robust emergency response and a long history of handling seismic catastrophes. — NPA, GMANews.TVaway.