A tsunami drill in Ilocos Sur is in the works this month after the local government came out with an evacuation guide route in case of an occurrence.
The Municipal Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (MDRRMO) – Santa Catalina has identified at least three evacuation sites — Bantay Arcade, Quirino Stadium and Farmers Livelihood Development Center — as probable safe spots in case of a magnitude 8 earthquake that could trigger a tsunami.
Of the nine villages in Santa Catalina, the four coastal villages of Cabittaogan, Subec, Paratong and Tamorong are the most vulnerable, particularly in the sub-villages of Mindanao in Paratong and Namnama in Tamorong, MDRRMO head Janette Rabara said in a media interview Friday.
“Offshore quakes have declined but we need to stay alert and intensify our preparedness measures just in case,” she said.
The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) said at least two mild quakes, magnitude 2.3 and 2.5, occurred in Santa Catalina between 7:33 a.m. to 7:55 a.m. Friday.
Santa Catalina is where most of the series of offshore earthquakes were traced in December last year.
Based on GeoAnalyticsPH, around 10,500 individuals are expected to be affected in the said town in case of tsunami, hence the need to ensure that an evacuation preparedness plan is in place. (Leilanie Adriano)
(Source: Philippine News Agency)