300 families fear aftershocks, stay in evacuation centers

MANILA— About 300 families decided to stay in various evacuation centers in two towns of Eastern Samar following the powerful earthquake that occurred near the province last Friday.

“Those who remained still fear for their safety since over 200 aftershocks have been reported since Friday night,” Benito Ramos, National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) executive director said.

The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (PHIVOLCS) recorded 271 aftershocks in Visayas and Mindanao following the magnitude 7.6 temblor that shook Eastern Samar last Friday night.

Of the aftershocks, 153 were recorded on Saturday morning, some 12 hours after the major tremor.

Ramos said the 7.6-magnitude quake sent over 200,000 residents of coastal towns fleeing their homes to seek refuge on higher ground.

He said the evacuees have been staying in public schools, gymnasiums and cockpit arenas in the towns of Guiuan and Mercedes.

“Some of the evacuees even chose to stay on top of trees. They immediately went to high ground even before we issued the alert level 3,” he said.

“But we expect them to return to their homes on Sunday night,” Ramos added.

The NDRRMC said over P1.4 million worth of public and private infrastructure was damaged by the tremblor, which struck 106 kilometers east of Guiuan town in Eastern Samar.

It said the government would need at least P12.5 million to “restore” other damaged roads and bridges in at least three towns of the province.

He said the local engineering office had constructed a detour bridge in San Julian town after the decades-old bridge connecting it to other municipalities was partly destroyed by the quake and was closed to all kinds of vehicles.

“But the stretch of the highway along the 11 coastline towns of Eastern Samar is now cleared and open to traffic,” he told the Philippine Daily Inquirer.

Ramos advised residents to “remain observant, always on alert and not to be overconfident.”

“While most of the aftershocks were weak, we don’t know if there’s still a strong aftershock coming. They should understand that there’s no scientific gadget to determine exactly when a strong quake would occur,” he said.

Phivolcs director Renato Solidum said the aftershocks may last for several weeks or months after Friday’s major earthquake, the epicenter of which was estimated east to 112 kilometers in Eastern Samar.

As a result of the tremor, the earthquake was felt at Intensity 7 in Guian, Oras, Sulat, General MacArthur, Llorente, all in Eastern Samar, as well as Borongan and Tacloban Cities; at Intensity 6 in San Julian in Eastern Samar, Palo in Leyte, Siargao Island and Surigao del Norte;

Intensity 5 in Saint Bernard and Hinunangan in Southern Leyte, San Policarpo in Eastern Samar, Bobon in Northern Samar, Kananga town in Leyte, Mati City, Compostela in Compostela Valley, Legaspi City, Iloilo City, Bislig City, Davao City, Cateel in Davao Oriental, Roxas City, Sorsogon City, Panganiban in Catanduanes, Dueno in Bohol, Talibon in Bohol, and Tagbilaran City.

Intensity 7 means the earthquake is so strong people find it hard to keep standing, cars are shaking, furniture are breaking. Intensity 6 means everyone feels the shaking and people find it hard to walk.

The earthquake is strong enough to dislodge pictures from the walls, move furniture and cause plaster on walls to crack.

Intensity 5 means almost everybody feels the shaking and the earthquake is strong enough to wake up sleeping people and make doors move.

Solidum said that three strong aftershocks happened within an hour of the major tectonic earthquake, the strongest of which was measured at magnitude 6.8.

“The initial aftershocks are expected to be strong but will lessen in magnitude and frequency after some time,” he told the Inquirer.

Solidum said it would be similar to the aftermath of the February 6 magnitude 6.9 quake that shook Negros Oriental and several nearby provinces.

He said that Phivolcs recorded hundreds of aftershocks, most of which were felt in the area because the epicenter was in land.

“The aftershocks here are hardly felt because the epicenter is at sea and far from land,” he explained adding that the distance caused the energy generated by the temblor to dissipate.

Solidum stressed that strong magnitude quakes should remind the public to be on alert for future earthquakes.

“It should remind us that it can happen anytime so we should always be prepared,” he said.

It is still impossible to predict earthquakes, but people now have an idea of where they could originate and where they could happen, according to Solidum. Inquirer