THOUSANDS of residents in the City of Mati were forcibly evacuated to higher grounds by authorities after the National Disaster Coordinating Council’s (NDCC) advisory of a tsunami alert level one.
Mati City Administrator Richard Villacorte said Sunday that they have already evacuated about 2,000 residents of coastal barangays. The residents were temporarily housed in three evacuation centers.
As early as Saturday evening, some residents of Mati reportedly trooped to the provincial Capitol in Mati as it is located in an elevated area overlooking the Pujada Bay of Mati.
Two Davao provinces were placed under tsunami alert Saturday following an 8.8 magnitude quake in Chile. The NDCC then issued tsunami alert level one, advising all areas in the country’s eastern coast to standby for possible evacuation.
Provinces in Southern Mindanao alerted by the NDCC are Davao Oriental and Davao del Sur. Other provinces alerted in the Philippines are Ilocos Norte, Isabela, Quezon, Aurora, Camarines Norte, Camarines Sur, Albay, Catanduanes, Sorsogon, Northern Samar, Eastern Samar, Leyte, Southern Leyte, Surigao del Norte and Surigao del Sur. (BOT/Sunnex)