MANILA, Philippines — The Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) has ordered local government units (LGUs) in 22 coastal provinces to begin evacuating residents in shoreline communities, following a magnitude 8.7 earthquake that struck off the east coast of Kamchatka, Russia.
The move came after the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) warned that a tsunami — potentially reaching less than one meter in height — could affect several areas along the Philippine eastern seaboard by Wednesday afternoon.
“Evacuate the communities whose houses are located very near the shoreline of the mentioned provinces to safe areas,” DILG Undersecretary for Local Government Marlo Iringan directed in a memorandum to local chief executives.
The advisory also instructed LGUs to:
- Activate emergency operations centers and incident management teams
- Establish evacuation routes, directional signage, and designated safe zones
- Coordinate closely with Phivolcs and disaster agencies
Provinces under tsunami warning:
- Batanes Group of Islands
- 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
- Davao de Oro
Phivolcs earlier stated that the tsunami waves are not expected to cause widespread damage but urged the public to stay away from beaches, low-lying coastal areas, and river mouths until the warning is lifted.
The massive quake, which struck early Wednesday, also triggered tsunami alerts across other Pacific nations including Japan, Hawaii, Russia, and Ecuador, with aftershocks continuing to rock the region.
Authorities are on high alert and monitoring wave activity as the situation develops.
