A PREGNANT woman died and thousands were evacuated when a magnitude 7.4 earthquake rocked Surigao del Sur on Saturday night.
Ednar Dayanghirang, director of the Office of Civil Defense-Davao region, said the victim died after she was pinned down by a wall that collapsed in Mati City, Davao Oriental.
A report from the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) said four were injured in the quake, which occurred at 10:37 p.m. with the epicenter located 29 km northeast of Hinatuan, Surigao del Sur.
The quake, of tectonic in origin, had a depth of 26 km, said the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs).
The shaking was felt at Intensity VII in Tandag City in Surigao del Sur; and Intensity VI in Maco and Monkayo in Davao de Oro, Bayabas City, and Hinatuan in Surigao del Sur.
It was also felt at Intensity V in Borongan City in Eastern Samar, Palo in Leyte, Cagayan de Oro City in Misamis Oriental, Nabunturan in Davao de Oro, Tagum City in Davao del Norte, Davao City, Cabadbaran City in Agusan del Sur, and Esperanza and Talacogon in Agusan del Sur.
Phivolcs said it recorded 955 aftershocks, ranging from magnitude 1.4 to 6.2, as of 4 p.m. yesterday.
Phivolcs issued tsunami alert, causing the evacuation of thousands of people in coastal areas. The NDRRMC reported .64 meter-high waves were observed.
A tsunami warning was also issued in Japan, though a U.S. agency said the risk of large waves had passed.
The U.S. Tsunami Warning System, which initially warned of waves of up to 3 meters (10 feet) above the usual high tide level, later said there was no longer a tsunami threat.
“Based on all available data … the tsunami threat from this earthquake has now passed,” it said.
“Minor sea level fluctuations may occur in some coastal areas,” it also said.
Waves of 40 cm (1.3 feet) were observed on Japan’s Hachijojima island, some 290 km (180 miles) south of Tokyo, according to the Japan Meteorological Agency, which had initially said they could reach a meter (3 feet) in height.
DAMAGE
Dayanghirang said more than 2,000 families or around 10,000 individuals were evacuated at the gymnasium of Mati City in Davao Oriental.
But the NDRRMC reported a lower number of evacuated population in Mati City, with 529 families or 2,647 individuals.
The NDRRMC said nine infrastructures were damaged in Davao City, Davao de Oro, and Caraga.
It added 218 houses were also damaged in the Davao and Caraga regions.
Dayanghirang said damage assessment was still ongoing in the Davao region, especially at schools.
“We want children to be safe, the government needs to know the status of our schools,” said Dayanghirang.
NDRRMC spokesman Edgar Posadas said initial information indicate the effect of the quake was not as severe as the November 17 magnitude 6.8 quake that struck Sarangani town in Davao Occidental, which left 11 people dead, affected nearly 100,000 individuals, and caused P9.25 billion worth of damage to infrastructure and houses.
Posadas said they are still conducting rapid damage and needs assessment as of yesterday.
“Once the chaos settles down, the situation becomes more organized, we will have a clearer picture… Damage to buildings is minor, that’s what they (people on the ground) said, minor damage,” said Posadas.
“We hope the casualties, especially deaths, will be very minimal,” Posadas also said.
Raymark Gentallan, police chief of the coastal town of Hinatuan, 30 km (19 miles) from the earthquake’s epicenter with a population of around 44,000, said power had been out since the quake struck.
“We’re evacuating people away from coastal areas,” he told Reuters.
Photographs posted on social media by Hinatuan’s local administration showed scores of residents and queues of vehicles moving towards higher ground, with one large shelter occupied by several dozen people.
The Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP) reported that no damages were observed at the airports it operates in Mindanao.
In an advisory on the status of Mindanao airports as of December 3, Evangeline Daba, CAAP area 12 manager, said that based on initial report, only minor damage were observed at the Butuan airport, Surigao airport, Siargao airport, Tandag airport, and Bislig airport.
Meanwhile, CAAP Area 11 manager Rex Obcena said that except for a few wall tiles that fell off in the international arrival elevator area, Davao International Airport (DIA) facilities did not incur damage. Passengers and duty personnel are also all safe and sound.
The airports under Area 11 include the Francisco Bangoy International Airport/ Davao International Airport, General Santos International Airport, Cotabato airport, Allah Valley airport and Mati airport
The Quick Response Team of all other airports in Mindanao are continuously conducting runway and passenger terminal building inspections to ensure that possible damages are located and repaired accordingly.
CAAP also said flight operations on both Area 11 and 12 airports are on normal status.
GOVT AID
The national government, led by the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) and the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG), is extending all necessary assistance to those affected by the quake, President Marcos Jr. said yesterday.
In a statement, the President said that while there are no reported casualties or significant damage in the areas affected by the quake on Saturday night, concerned agencies such as the such Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) are also diligently assessing the situation in the CARAGA region with the support of the OCD and the NDRRMC.
Efforts are also ongoing to immediately restore power in areas affected by the power outage since Saturday.
Marcos said the Phivolcs is also monitoring aftershocks to ensure the safety of affected areas.
“In these challenging times, let us unite as a nation. Together, we will overcome the obstacles posed by this disaster and emerge stronger,” he said. — With reports from Myla Iglesias, Jocelyn Montemayor and Reuters
