Pangasinan under tsunami threat if Manila Trench moves
COASTAL TOWNS AND CITIES TOLD TO PREPARE
LOCAL government units of coastal towns and cities in Pangasinan and the rest of Region 1 were reminded anew to beef up their evacuation and preparedness plans following a series of recent earthquakes off Ilocos Sur, which the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) confirmed to be related to the Manila Trench and may potentially trigger a tsunami.
Phivolcs Research Specialist Angelito Lañuza, in an online press conference last week arranged by the Philippine Information Agency Region 1, stressed that officials and the public should not panic but be fully prepared instead for the potential threat based on their simulations.
He said at least 185 tremors were recorded about 100 kilometers off Sta. Catalina town in Ilocos Sur, and all close to the Manila Trench, which runs from southern Taiwan to Negros island in the Visayas.
Based on an earthquake simulation conducted by Philvolcs, a tremor in the Manila Trench could have a magnitude as high as 8.4, which could generate a tsunami that will impact the coastal areas of both Regions 1 and 3.
There were other earthquakes that occurred in Agno and Infanta, Pangasinan as well as in Masinloc, Zambalez, which Lañuza said were also related to the Manila Trench
The Philvolcs officials said in this earthquake simulation, Ilocos Norte and Ilocos Sur in Segment 1, would most probably experience an Intensity 8 earthquake, and Intensity 7 in La Union and Pangasinan in Segment II.
Director Lawrence Mina of the Office of Civil Defense 1 said the Regional Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council already ordered all local governments along coastal areas to have their respective evacuation plans ready earlier.
According to Phivolcs, if a strong earthquake hits and the water suddenly retreats seaward, that is the signal of a coming tsunami.
In such a situation, residents of Bolinao will have only six minutes to evacuate to higher grounds while those in Dagupan City will only have 15 minutes to run to safety. (Leonardo Micua)
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