THE Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) on Wednesday ordered local chief executives (LCEs) to evacuate people living near the shoreline areas threatened by tsunami waves, after a magnitude 8.8 earthquake struck Kamchatka Peninsula in Russia.
The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) earlier said tsunami waves may be experienced this afternoon in Batanes, Cagayan, Isabela, Aurora, Quezon, Camarines Norte, Camarines Sur, Albay, Sorsogon, Catanduanes, Northern Samar, Eastern Samar, Leyte, Southern Leyte, Dinagat Islands, Surigao del Norte, Surigao del Sur, Davao Del Norte, Davao Oriental, Davao Occidental, Davao Del Sur and Davao de Oro.
Phivolcs urged families whose houses are located very near the shoreline areas to “move farther inland.”
Phivolcs issued the warning after a magnitude 8.8 earthquake hit Russia’s Kamchatka Peninsula at a depth of 19.3 kms (12 miles) on Wednesday.
In an advisory, the DILG enjoined concerned LCEs to “prepare for this threat” and adopt “critical preparedness actions.”
“Evacuate the communities whose houses are located very near the shoreline of the above-mentioned provinces to safe areas,” the DILG said in an advisory to the LCEs and other concerned officials.
“Immediately establish evacuation routes, directional signs, and safe zones for at-risk communities,” it added.
It also directed the local executives to activate their emergency operation centers and incident management teams.
The DILG also ordered the LCEs to closely coordinate with concerned government agencies, including Phivolcs, “for technical support, risk assessments and public awareness campaigns.”
It said DILG regional directors “must ensure that LGUs within their jurisdiction are adequately prepared for this threat.”
“Close coordination with respective RDRRMCs (regional disaster risk reduction and management councils) is required to facilitate the immediate and widespread dissemination of this advisory,” it added.
