Tsunami alert level 2 in the Philippines
From level 1 now it’s up by 2 this Sunday morning February 28. Phivolcs are advising the public to be alert for unusual waves caused by the 8.8-magnitude earthquake that hit south-central Chile at 3:34 a.m. on Saturday (2:34 p.m. in Manila).
Phivolcs reported this morning the 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 first tsunami waves would arrive between 1 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. and may not always be the largest. The waves may continue for hours, Phivolcs added. Meanwhile, people are advised to stay away from the shoreline during this time, though Jane Punongbayan, Phivolcs’ supervising science research specialist, said in an interview, the waves that might reach our coastline will not be that strong.
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. US Weather Service cancelled its tsunami warning for several countries, including the Philippines, maintaining only the warning for Russia and Japan.
In the meantime 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. Japan was still preparing for the prospect of three-meter waves, although the tsunami delivered nothing more than a short blow to the US and South Pacific.
The tsunami caused no real damage in Hawaii. Reports said waves had hit California, but still, no injuries or properties were damaged. What triggered the tsunami was the stong magnitude-8.8 earthquake in Chile that sent waves barreling north across the Pacific.
Philippine National Police head Director-General Jesus Verzosa ordered all police unit commanders to form local disaster coordinating committees in 19 provinces, despite the assurances of Phivolcs of no direct danger. Local government units of the 19 provices that were warned, are now preparing for any informations that will be announced. They would not want to have any casualties just in case the waves reached our coastline.
Meanwhile there have been no reports of Filipino casualties in Chile. Until now, phone lines and electricity are down, that’s why there is difficulty to reach our embassy there.
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