By Katrina Gracia Consebido
The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) warned the public of possible aftershocks after a magnitude 7.0 tremor rocked the province of Abra and other areas of the country, including Metro Manila on Wednesday morning, July 27.
In the Laging Handa briefing, Phivolcs Officer-in-charge Undersecretary Renato Solidum said the earthquake in Abra was felt around 8:43 a.m, which was considered as a “major earthquake” with its recorded magnitude level.
Solidum said they are not recording how many aftershocks will occur over the course, however, he reminded the public that strong aftershocks will be felt with “staunch intensity.”
“Definitely, inaasahan po natin ang mga aftershocks. Typically po sa ating experience, mga first two days marami hanggang third day, at ito ay bababa ng bilang with time at ito po ay posibleng magkaroon pa ng malalakas na intensity,” Solidum said.
He advised the affected residences as well as the concerned local government units (LGUs) and the Risk Reduction Management Council to conduct inspections in residential units and establishments for their safety.
“Kaya nga ang ating advice ‘yung mga lugar na may mga sira, mga bahay, mga gusali ay ma-inspect muna at ‘wag munang gamitin,” he continued.
“‘Yung mga lugar na may landslide na na-destabilize na, ‘yung mga building sa paligid nito, at may mga lugar na kahit hindi nagslandslide ay merong mga crack o fissures, pupwede po itong maging lugar ng landslides, lalong- lalo na kung may aftershock pa o di kaya ay may dumating na malakas na pag-ulan,” he added.
Meanwhile, Solidum said that the Abra river fault is the near fault line in the epicenter of the earthquake.
“Ang ating nakikitang kumilos ay yung Abra river fault. Yung fault [ay] ang zone of weakness, at sinundan ito ng tubig, at naging ilog,” Solidum said.
Moreover, Solidum said that their department and the national government are continuously conducting simultaneous earthquake drills in different parts of the country to strengthen the preparedness and awareness of Filipinos during earthquake situations. – gb
