Chile was struck by a devastating magnitude 8.8 earthquake early Saturday, toppling homes, collapsing bridges and plunging trucks into the fractured earth. A tsunami set off by the magnitude-8.8 quake threatened every nation around the Pacific Ocean — including Philippines.
In an interview on ABS-CBN, Philippine Institute for Vulcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) director Renato Solidum said that if the earthquake did create a tsunami, it may be expected to arrive sometime between 1:30pm and 2pm on Sunday.
People residing near the Pacific ocean should be wary of the following Natural signs of an approaching tsunami:
1. A felt earthquake; 2. Unusual sea level change: Sudden sea water retreat or rise; 3. Rumbling sound of approaching waves. Source: Phivolcs website
Renato Solidum, director of the Philippine Institute for Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs), said they are closely monitoring the situation on this side of the Pacific rim to determine if the tsunami triggered off Chile would reach Philippine shores.
“Binabantayan namin kung aabot ito sa ating bansa… Bilang pag-iingat, nagpalabas ang Phivolcs-DOST ng Tsunami Alert Level 1 (We are monitoring if the tsunami will reach the Philippines. But as a precautionary measure, we are raising a Tsunami Alert Level 1),” said Solidum.
The Phivolcs was prompted to raise the alert at about 3:10 p.m. Saturday based on a lesson learned from a more powerful 9.5-magnitude earthquake in May 1960 that also hit Chile. The resulting tsunami made it to the Philippine coastlines more than 24 hours after the earthquake struck the South American nation.
The Phivolcs official, however, clarified that a Tsunami Alert Level 1 does not yet mean people living near the country’s Pacific coastlines are advised to evacuate to higher ground.
“Ibig sabihin lang nito, kailangan lang maghintay kung may bagong information… kailangan tayong mag-ingat doon (We just have to wait for further information).
For the meantime let us all pray that no tsunami will hit our country.
Philippines warns of Pacific tsunami risk after chile earthquake 2010
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