PHIVOLCS lifts tsunami advisory after Russia quake

The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (PHIVOLCS) on Wednesday afternoon lifted the tsunami advisory it earlier issued after a powerful earthquake struck Russia’s eastern Kamchatka Peninsula. 

Based on available data, PHIVOLCS said that as of 4:40 p.m. “no significant sea level disturbances nor destructive tsunami waves have been recorded since the 7:25 a.m. earthquake up until this cancellation.''

“With this, any effects due to minor sea level disturbances have largely passed, and therefore, DOST-PHIVOLCS has now cancelled the recommendations issued for this event,” it added. 

PHIVOLCS earlier warned that coastal areas on the eastern side of the country fronting the Pacific Ocean were expected to experience a tsunami of less than one meter.

State seismologists said the first tsunami waves might arrive between 1:20 p.m. and 2:40 p.m., July 30. 

PHIVOLCS earlier advised the public to be alert for unusual waves and stay away from the beach and not go to the coast of the following provinces until the cancellation of the advisory: 

• Batanes Group of Islands
• Cagayan
• Isabela
• Aurora
• Quezon
• Camarines Norte
• Camarines Sur
• Albay
• Sorsogon
• Catanduanes
• Northern Samar
• Eastern Samar
• Leyte
• Southern Leyte
• Dinagat Islands
• Surigao del Norte
• Surigao del Sur
• Davao del Norte
• Davao Oriental
• Davap Occidental
• Davao del Sur
• Davao de Oro

Classes were suspended in some areas in Davao while the Philippine Ports Authority halted port operations in the affected areas due to the tsunami advisory.

The Department of the Interior and Local Government had also ordered the preemptive evacuation of residents living in the affected coastal areas.

All Philippine Coast Guard districts were also placed on alert. 

Tsunami waves struck parts of Kamchatka, partially flooding the port and a fish processing plant in the town of Severo-Kurilsk and sweeping vessels from their moorings, regional officials and Russia's emergency ministry said.

The shallow magnitude 8.8 earthquake damaged buildings and injured several people in the remote Russian region, while much of Japan's eastern seaboard — devastated by a 9.0 magnitude earthquake and tsunami in 2011 —was ordered to evacuate.

In Hawaii, coastal residents were told to get to high ground or the fourth floor or above of buildings, and the US Coast Guard ordered ships out of harbors as the tsunami approached. 

Residents in French Polynesia were urged to move to higher ground and follow official instructions, including securing boats or moving them away from the shore. —with reports from Reuters/VBL, GMA Integrated News