THE Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) on Wednesday warned of possible tsunami waves in coastal areas on the eastern side of the country, after a magnitude 8.8 earthquake hit Kamchatka Peninsula in Russia.
The earthquake, which struck the Russian peninsula at a depth of 19.3km (12 miles) earlier on Wednesday, is the strongest in the region since 1952, the Russian Academy of Sciences said.
The quake’s center was recorded at 126 kms (80 miles) east-southeast of Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, a city along Russia’s Avacha Bay, the US Geological Survey said.
“Based on the revised magnitude calculations and tsunami wave models in the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center, coastal areas in the Philippines fronting the Pacific ocean are expected to experience tsunami wave height of less than one meter,” Phivolcs said in a minor sea-level disturbance advisory.
It said the first tsunami waves are expected to arrive between 1:20 pm to 2:40 pm Wednesday.
“It may not be the largest and these waves may continue for hours,” Phivolcs said.
“The concerned public is advised to be on alert for unusual waves. People are also advised to stay away from the beach and not to go to the coast of the following provinces until the cancellation of this advisory,” it added.
It identified the provinces as Batanes, 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 and Davao de Oro.
Phivolcs urged families whose houses are located very near the shoreline of these areas to “move farther inland.”
“Owners of boats in harbors, estuaries or shallow coastal water of the above-mentioned provinces should secure their boats and move away from the waterfront. Boats already at sea during this period should stay offshore in deep waters until further advised,” it added.
