The 6.9 Magnitude earthquake shook Iloilo (Panay), Negros and Cebu Islands yesterday, February 6, 2011. The earthquake caused landslides, cracks on highways and bridges and damages on buildings. Classes and work in most offices in Central and Western Visaya were suspended. Shopping malls temporarily closed for inspection for possible damages.
It was reported that a 3-storey building collapsed and seven bridges were no longer passable. 52 deaths were reported mostly from the town of Guihulngan in Negros Oriental were were landslides occurred.
The epicenter of the earthquake was located 5 kilometers northwest of Tayasan town in Negros Oriental, and was tectonic in origin. According to reports, the fault-line was previously unmapped meaning this may be a new fault line.
Aftershocks
There were more than a hundred aftershocks but only around 50 were felt and some were as strong as Magnitude 6.2 which worried a lot f people. This will still continue but hopefully no longer as strong and as frequent. Text messages predicting another earthquake brought panic to some people. The best way to combat these unscrupulous texters is to know as much as we can about earthquakes. Earthquakes cannot be predicted, aftershocks after an earthquake is expected. They may be strong enough for us to shake buildings or weak that we may no longer feel them.
Tsunami Scare
A Tsunami Alert 2 was declared by PHIVOLCS at around 12:30pm yesterday due to observed abnormal rise in sea level. It’s however unfortunate that some people panicked even in areas not included in the alert. Tsunami Alert 2 means people along the coastal areas should be aware of unusual rise in sea level but no evacuation is required. I heard San Carlos City LGU evacuated some of their people along the coastal area. In my opinion, it’s better prepared than be sorry.
Who’s in charge
Although a lot of people updated their Twitter and Facebook accounts, some people were asking where to get official updates and who is in charge. For updates and instructions, it’s the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) which also has local counterparts in Provinces, Cities and Municipalities.
Help Need
Looking at the photos uploaded on Facebook, Guihulngan was really badly hit by 6.9 earthquake. I hope and pray no more casualties will be reported. Let’s remain updated and extend whatever help we can give.
