AT LEAST 49 people from the provinces of Ilocos Norte and Abra were hurt after a magnitude 6.4 earthquake struck northern Luzon on Tuesday evening, Oct. 25, 2022.
In a press release provided by the Provincial Government of Ilocos Norte on Wednesday, Oct. 26, at least 38 people were hurt after the quake, two of whom were seriously injured and are currently confined at the Governor Roque B. Ablan Sr. Memorial Hospital. The rest only sustained minor injuries.
In Abra, Vice Gov. Joy Bernos said that 11 individuals were reported to have sustained injuries after the quake.
Following last Tuesday’s quake, President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. assured on Wednesday that there is sufficient food and shelter for the affected families.
Marcos said tents that will serve as temporary shelters for families who feared going back to their homes are very much needed in the affected areas.
He said the Department of Public Works and Highways is still conducting assessment to ensure the structural integrity of homes and other infrastructures, including schools in the earthquake-hit barangays.
In a press conference, National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council spokesperson Assistant Secretary Raffy Alejandro IV said the Department of Social Welfare and Development delivered 1,000 tents to Abra.
He said four areas in Abra and Cagayan experienced power outages following the earthquake.
Alejandro said families whose houses were already declared safe are allowed to go back.
A magnitude 6.4 earthquake hit Abra Tuesday night, just three months after being hit by a magnitude 7 earthquake that claimed six lives.
In a television interview, Bernos said the town of Lagayan, where the epicenter of the earthquake was recorded, incurred major damages among all the towns in Abra. (TPM, JKV / SunStar Philippines)