Phivolcs: Weeks more of aftershocks seen from Surigao quake

- Advertisement -

AFTERSHOCKS from the magnitude 7.4 quake that rocked Hinatuan town in Surigao del Sur last Saturday may continue in the next several weeks, the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) said yesterday.

In another town in Surigao del Sur, a magnitude 6.8 earthquake was recorded yesterday.

The quake in Cagwait town occurred at 3:49 a.m. Its epicenter was some 67 km northeast of Cagwait. It was tectonic in origin and had a depth of one km. As of 5 p.m. yesterday, 326 aftershocks, ranging from magnitude 1.8 to 5.7 have been recorded.

- Advertisement -

The two earthquakes are not related, Phivolcs said.

On the Hinatuan quake, Phivolcs said 2,047 aftershocks ranging from magnitude 1.4 to 6.6 have been recorded, also as of 5 p.m. yesterday.

“This will probably last for several days to several weeks. So we really have to brace ourselves for aftershocks in the next few weeks,” Phivolcs director Teresito Bacolcol said in a radio interview, referring to the Hinatuan quake.

Bacolcol nevertheless said aftershocks are expected to become less frequent “as time passes.”

In a public briefing, Bacolcol said, “Based on the previous earthquake that we had, aftershocks will usually last for several days to several weeks. But as time passes, the number declines and they become weaker.”

The quake in Hinatuan was tectonic in origin and had a depth of 26 km. Its epicenter was some 29 km northeast of Hinatuan, town.

Phivolcs said it is not expecting damage from the Cagwait quake.

Liza Mazo, director of the Office of Civil Defense-Caraga, said the quake left two people dead.

Citing information from the provincial government, Mazo said one of the fatalities was pinned down by a collapsed wall in Bislig City.

The other, Mazo said, died in Barobo town. She did not say the cause of death.
Mazo said nine were reported injured in the province.

Officials earlier said a pregnant woman died after she was pinned down by a collapsed wall in Tagum City in Davao del Norte.

The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council said its official death toll is one, but said they are verifying a report about a second fatality.

Mazo said classes in 12 local government units in Surigao del Sur have been suspended, pending the inspection of the integrity of school buildings in these areas.

Strong aftershocks from the two quakes are forcing thousands of residents to stay in evacuation centers, disaster officials said.

“We are scared up to now because of the aftershocks,” Alex Arana, disaster agency chief of Surigao del Sur, told DZBB radio station.

As of late on Sunday, more than 108,000 people were staying in 115 evacuation centers in Surigao del Sur, government data show.

“We get dizzy from tremors every so often. We choose to stay here at the evacuation center for now,” Susan Clor, a resident of Hinatuan town, told GMA television station.

- Advertisement -spot_img

The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) said the 7.4 earthquake caused some P88 million in damage to Surigao del Sur and areas nearby.

Social Welfare Secretary Rex Gatchalian was in Surigao del Sur yesterday to get a first-hand assessment of the damage caused by the earthquake and distribute assistance to at least 100 affected families temporarily staying at the Bitoon Elementary School in Hinatuan.

Data from the DSWD’s Disaster Response Operations Monitoring and Information Center said 56,634 families (236,798 persons) from 156 barangays in the Caraga region were affected by the quake.

DSWD said data from the Office of Civil Defense (OCD), however, showed that 746 houses were “totally damaged” while 141 were “partially damaged,” resulting in a total damage cost of over P88 million.

The OCD data also said that 529 families (or 2,647 people) were affected by the quake. — With Jocelyn Montemayor and Reuters

Author

- Advertisement -

Share post: