FOLLOWING the 7.2 magnitude earthquake in Taiwan on Wednesday morning, April 3, 2024, that prompted a tsunami warning, which included some coastal areas in the Philippines, particularly in all parts of the Davao Region, the Department of Science and Technology-Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (DOST-Phivolcs) immediately lifted the warning a few hours after it released its initial warning.
Initially, DOST-Phivolcs released a warning that high tsunami waves may be possible in 23 provinces near or facing the Pacific ocean across the country and forecasted to arrive minutes after the strong tremor.
In its first warning, it included the Batanes Group of Islands, Cagayan, Ilocos Norte, Isabela, Quezon, Aurora, Camarines Norte, Camarines Sur, Albay, Catanduanes, Sorsogon, Eastern Samar, Northern Samar, Leyte, Southern Leyte, Surigao del Norte, Surigao del Sur, Dinagat Islands, Davao De Oro, Davao del Norte, Davao del Sur, Davao Occidental, and Davao Oriental in the areas that may be affected by the tsunami.
It also advised the residents in these areas to promptly evacuate to higher grounds.
However, the agency immediately canceled the warning through its Tsunami Information No. 2, “[b]ased on available data of our sea level monitoring stations, facing the epicentral area, no significant sea level disturbances have been reported since 07:58 a.m. up until the cancellation," the agency said in its bulletin issued at 10:33 a.m.
“With this, any effects due to the tsunami warning have largely passed and therefore DOST-PHIVOLCS has now canceled all Tsunami Warnings issued for this event," it added.
The tectonic movement is the strongest tremor to hit the island in 25 years after the 7.3 magnitude earthquake that jolted in Jiji (Chi-Chi), Nantou County last September 1999 that left 2,415 deaths and injured 11, 305 people.
As of press time, Taiwan’s government has announced 50 injuries while four casualties were mainly recorded in Hualien County, eastern part of the country where the epicenter was recorded.
Meanwhile, Taiwan’s Central Emergency Command Center (TCECC) reported around 26 buildings collapsed which are geographically located also in the epicenter and 91, 000 households are still affected by the electrical and power outage.
To recall, in February 2018, the northern part of the city of Hualien was struck by a 6.2 magnitude earthquake, killing at least 17 individuals and injuring more than 300 residents. DEF
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