NDRRMC on blue alert; OCD in Davao, Caraga regions on red alert after Surigao del Sur quake

MANILA, Philippines — The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council on Sunday said that it is closely coordinating with disaster officials after it was placed under blue alert status following the magnitude 7.4 quake that hit Hinatuan, Surigao del Sur on Saturday evening.

Under the blue alert status, half of NDRRMC’s disaster officials are directed to be on standby to ensure that there will be enough manpower in case of an emergency.

Assistant Secretary Hernando Caraig Jr, Civil Defense deputy administrator for operations, in a memorandum issued on Sunday, ordered the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), Bureau of Fire Protection, Philippine Coast Guard, and Philippine National Police to detail duty officers to render duty at the NDRRMC “to ensure that coordination is streamlined, and they would be able to assist in preparedness measures.”

"All NDRRMC member-agencies and RDRRMCs are required to continue monitoring their respective AORs and send updates to the NDRRMOC through the NDRMMC Monitoring Dashboard,” the memorandum read.

Davao, Caraga regions on red alert

Aside from the NDRRMC, red alert status has been raised by the Office of Civil Defense in the Davao region and Caraga, where the quake epicenter Surigao del Sur, is located.

Under red alert status, OCD’s regional personnel must be on duty 24/7 to respond to calamities.

According to NDRRMC, OCD-Caraga’s personnel are continuously conducting video teleconferences with local government units and response clusters for streamlined coordination.

It is also coordinating with the NDRRMC, local disaster risk reduction and management offices to be updated in the developments in affected areas.

Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (PDRRMO) of Davao Oriental, on the other hand, has conducted pre-emptive evacuations in all municipalities along the coastal waters of the province.

NDRRMC added that the PDRRMOs of Davao de Oro and Davao del Norte are likewise continuously monitoring the quake's impact through local disaster officials in the province.

These agencies were also informed of the updates from the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs).

Tsunami warning lifted

On Sunday morning at around 4 a.m., Phivolcs observed the last tsunami wave at the Hinatuan-Bislig Bay Station on Mawes Island.

It subsequently canceled the tsunami warning it has earlier issued, citing that the last wave means that the "tsunami threat associated with this earthquake has now largely passed the Philippines."

Prior to that, sea level monitoring stations confirmed the occurrence of tsunami with preliminary wave heights of 0.64 meter in Mawes Island, Hinatuan, 0.18 meter in Lawigan, Bislig City, 0.05 meter in Port of Dapa, Surigao del Norte and 0.08 meter in Mati, Davao Oriental.

Phivolcs has earlier recommended immediate evacuation in these areas.

The magnitude 7.4 quake, initially recorded at magnitude 6.9, was recorded east of Hinatuan at 10:37 p.m. of Saturday with major aftershocks that followed.

As of 8 a.m., the state seismologists recorded 542 aftershocks.