Phivolcs raises tsunami alert 1; warns residents on eastern seaboard

MANILA, Philippines–The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) hoisted the tsunami alert level 1 following a magnitude 8 earthquake that struck the Santa Cruz Islands in the Pacific.

The agency advised provinces on the country’s eastern seaboard to take precautionary measures as the powerful quake could trigger gigantic waves.

In its tsunami bulletin, Phivolcs said that the earthquake hit at around 9:12 am (Philippine time) at a depth of five kilometers at 340 km east of Kira Kira in the Solomon Islands.

“An earthquake of this size has the potential to generate a destructive tsunami that can strike coastlines in the region near the epicenter within minutes to hours,” the bulletin said.

Among provinces, where residents particularly in coastal areas facing the Pacific Ocean are advised to wait for further information and to prepare for possible evacuation are: the Batanes Group of Islands; Cagayan; 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; and Davao Del Sur.

Phivolcs will continue to monitor sea level changes in the epicentral area while the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center (PTWC) in Hawaii will report if any tsunami wave activity is observed.

The PTWC has earlier issued a tsunami warning, based on the earthquake magnitude, to South Pacific Islands following the powerful temblor.

The warning was issued for the Solomon Islands, Vanuatu, Nauru, Papua New Guinea, Tuvalu, New Caledonia, Kosrae, Fiji, Kiribati, and Wallis and Futuna islands while a tsunami watch was issued for the rest of the South Pacific countries, including Indonesia, Australia and New Zealand.