Visayas provinces tell residents to stay away from coastlines

Local officials across Eastern Visayas have urged residents, especially those in coastal communities, to stay away from the shorelines and avoid venturing out to sea following a tsunami alert issued in the wake of a powerful magnitude 8.7 earthquake that struck Kamchatka, Russia, on Wednesday. INQUIRER FILES

TACLOBAN CITY – Local officials across Eastern Visayas have urged residents, especially those in coastal communities, to stay away from the shorelines and avoid venturing out to sea following a tsunami alert issued in the wake of a powerful magnitude 8.7 earthquake that struck Kamchatka, Russia, on Wednesday.

The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) raised a tsunami advisory to communities along the country’s coastlines facing the Pacific Ocean, including parts of Eastern Samar, Northern Samar, Leyte, and Southern Leyte.

READ: Phivolcs issues tsunami warning following powerful quake in Russia

In Eastern Samar, Governor Ralph Vincent Evardone urged his constituents to stay away from the beach and refrain from fishing due to an expected sea-level disturbance as waves less than one meter generated by the quake would arrive along the country’s coastline around 1:20 pm to 2:40 pm.

“Do not go fishing and stay away from coastal areas. A minor sea level disturbance is expected to affect the province. According to the DOST (Department of Science and Technology), Eastern Samar is among the 22 provinces likely to experience this event,” Evardone said in a statement posted on his social media account shortly after the Phivolcs alert was issued.

The disturbance is expected to occur between 1:20 p.m. and 2:40 p.m. today, with the possibility of continued effects in the hours that follow, he added.

In Southern Leyte, Rep. Christopherson Yap called on mayors and barangay officials in coastal towns to cancel classes and evacuate residents in at-risk areas, especially those located within 500 meters of the shoreline.

“We should not ignore this tsunami alert. I appeal to our mayors and barangay leaders to suspend classes and move people to higher ground,” Yap said in a live video broadcast on Wednesday morning.

Several local government units (LGUs) across the affected provinces reposted the Phivolcs advisory and echoed calls for vigilance and preparedness.

The Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) stations also issued warnings to residents and fishermen.

“We strongly advise everyone in coastal communities to stay away from beaches and shoreline areas until this advisory is officially lifted,” the PCG said in its bulletin.

The Coast Guard encouraged fisherfolk and shoreline residents to move farther inland. It also advised boat owners to secure their vessels or move them away from shallow or exposed coastal waters.

Authorities continue to monitor the situation closely and advise the public to wait for further updates from Phivolcs, the Department of Science and Technology (DOST), and local disaster risk reduction offices./coa