Ilocos Norte folk alerted for quakes

LAOAG CITY—Following a series of earthquakes that struck off Ilocos Norte this week, local officials asked residents to stay on alert for stronger ground-shaking and aftershocks that may hit their areas anytime.

A bulletin issued by the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) said that at least 14 earthquakes have hit Ilocos Norte since last month. The strongest was recorded at magnitude 5.7, which struck 31 kilometers southwest of Burgos town on Monday.

That earthquake was followed by a magnitude 3.5-magnitude quake that occurred 91 km northwest of Currimao town at 8:35 p.m. Tuesday.

On Tuesday, provincial capitol employees joined an earthquake and fire drill organized by the Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council and the Bureau of Fire Protection to prepare them for emergency situations. Leilanie Adriano, Inquirer Northern Luzon