The Philippines need your help

[nancyk58]

News in relation to the Philippines on 20 February 2010

 

NEWS FROM THE PHILIPPINES ON 20 FEBRUARY 2010

 

40° C WEATHER POSSIBLE DUE TO El NIÑO —PAGASA

 

(02/20/2010 | 07:48 AM - GMA News.TV)

 

With the El Niño phenomenon threatening to make the coming summer season hotter, state weather forecasters are not discounting 40-degree Celsius weather in some parts of the country.

 

The Philippine Atmospheric Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration said the temperatures in Metro Manila alone will likely go up to a sweltering 36 to 37 degrees Celsius.

 

“We will observe other areas of the country such as Northern Luzon," Pagasa weather bureau head Nathaniel Cruz said in an interview on dzRH radio on Saturday, when asked about the possibility of 40-degree weather in summer.

 

"In Metro Manila, the weather could go up to 36 or 37 degrees. That is enough to feel very hot," he said. The hottest temperature recorded in the Philippines was in Tuguegarao in Cagayan province on April 29, 1912. On that day, the temperature there reached 108 degrees Fahrenheit or 42.2 degrees Celsius, according to the Weather Explained website.

 

“El Niño is in its final stages but the effects are being felt in the Philippines only now. In Luzon particularly, we are about to feel the LACK OF RAIN," he said.

 

He added the LACK OF RAIN is expected to persist along with HOT WEATHER from March to June.

 

“Summer has not set in but the northeast monsoon has started to weaken. We expect the weather to get hotter in March and April, and especially hot in May," he said.

 

—LBG, GMANews.TV

 

 

PINAY KILLED IN HAITY QUAKE FINALLY HOME

 

(02/20/2010 | 07:35 AM - GMA News.TV)

 

After a one-day delay, the remains of a Filipino woman killed in last month’s magnitude-7 quake in Haiti finally arrived home early Saturday.

 

Radio dzBB’s Manny Vargas reported that the family of Mary Grace Fabian waited for the remains to arrive on a Philippine Airlines PR-103 flight from Los Angeles.

 

“We love you Grace Fabian," read the placards they brought with them while they waited at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA).

 

Dolores Fabian, Mary Grace’s mother, said they plan to bury her in Las Piñas City this Monday. In the meantime, they said they would bring the remains to Rizal Funeral Homes in Pasay City.

 

For its part, the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration said it is checking its records to see if Fabian is an OWWA member and entitled to benefits and livelihood assistance.

 

“I have to check our records if she is a member....," OWWA head Carmelita Dimzon said.

 

The repatriation of Fabian’s remains were delayed for a day due to some glitches.

 

Fabian’s body was pulled out of the collapsed Caribbean Supermarket at 11 a.m. of February 7 in Haiti, or midnight of Feb. 7 in Manila.

 

Lowel Lalican, the husband of Geraldine Lalican, another OFW still trapped under the rubble of the supermarket, identified the remains. Fabian, an employee of the Caribbean Supermarket, was identified through her uniform, hair and necklace.

 

Fabian’s Haiti-based sister Rosalyn had initially instructed that the remains be interred at the National Cemetery in Port-au-Prince. But the DFA said Fabian’s family in the Philippines requested that her remains be repatriated.

- LBG, GMANews.TV

[nancyk58]

Article in relation to the Philippines on 21.2.10

 

UPDATE OF THE SITUATION IN THE PHILIPPINES ON 21 FEBRUARY 2010

 

German ARDtext: WATER SHORTAGE IN THE PHILIPPINES

 

The Philippines suffer from shortage of water. The government has appealed to the population to consume less water. The water level in one of the most vital dams is disturbingly low. "If we do not economize on water, then we'll face serious problems", a presidential spokesman warned. The period of drought has already caused failing crops to the value of 50 million EURO. The drought could last until July, the Ministry of Agriculture warned. Back in October 2009 several devastating typhoons had flooded parts of the Philippines.

[nancyk58]

Articles about the Philippines on 22 February 2010

 

UPDATE OF THE SITUATION IN THE PHILIPPINES ON 22 FEBRUARY 2010

 

MAGNITUDE-3.8 QUAKE ROCKS LEYTE - PHIVOLCS

 

(02/22/2010 | 12:05 PM - GMA News.TV)

 

A magnitude-3.8 quake rocked parts of Leyte in central Philippines early Monday morning, state seismologists said.

 

In its 6:14 a.m. bulletin, the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) said the quake hit the Visayan province at 4:51 a.m.

 

Its epicenter was traced northeast of Ormoc City, whose residents felt the quake at Intensity III, the Phivolcs said.

 

GMA News received an information from a resident of Carigara town, which is north of Ormoc City, that the quake was also felt in the municipality.

 

According to the Phivolcs, an earthquake felt at Intensity III means it was "felt by many people indoors especially in upper floors of buildings" and that "vibration is felt like one passing of a light truck."

 

No damage or aftershocks are expected, the Phivolcs said.

 

- Johanna Camille Sisante/RSJ, GMANews.TV

 

 

US STUDY: WARMING TO BRING STRONGER HURRICANES

 

(02/22/2010 | 08:55 AM - GMA News.TV)

 

WASHINGTON – Top researchers now agree that the world is likely to get STRONGER but FEWER HURRICANES in the FUTURE because of GLOBAL WARMING, seeming to settle a scientific debate on the subject. But they say there's not enough evidence yet to tell whether that effect has already begun.

 

Since just before Hurricane Katrina hit Louisiana and Mississippi in 2005, dueling scientific papers have clashed about whether global warming is worsening hurricanes and will do so in the future. The new study seems to split the difference. A special World Meteorological Organization panel of 10 experts in both hurricanes and climate change — including leading scientists from both sides — came up with a CONCENSUS, which is published online Sunday in the journal Nature Geoscience.

 

"We've really come a long way in the last two years about our knowledge of the hurricane and climate issue," said study co-author Chris Landsea, a National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration top hurricane researcher.

 

The technical term for these storms are tropical cyclones; in the Atlantic they get called hurricanes, elsewhere typhoons.

 

The study offers projections for tropical cyclones worldwide by the end of this century, and some experts said the bad news outweighs the good. Overall strength of storms as measured in wind speed would rise by 2 to 11 percent, but there would be between 6 and 34 percent fewer storms in number. Essentially, there would be fewer weak and moderate storms and more of the big damaging ones, which also are projected to be stronger due to warming.

 

An 11 percent increase in WIND SPEED translates to roughly a 60 percent increase in DAMAGE, said study co-author Kerry Emanuel, a professor of meteorology at MIT.

 

The storms also would carry more RAIN, another indicator of DAMAGE, said lead author Tom Knutson, a research meteorologist at NOAA.

 

Knutson said the new study, which looks at worldwide projections, doesn't make clear whether global warming will lead to more or less hurricane damage on balance. But he pointed to a study he co-authored last month that looked at just the Atlantic hurricane basin and predicted that global warming would trigger a 28 percent INCREASE IN DAMAGE NEAR THE US despite fewer storms.

 

That study suggests category 4 and 5 Atlantic hurricanes — those with winds more than 130 mph — would nearly double by the end of the century. On average, a category 4 or stronger hurricane hits the United States about once every seven years, mostly in Florida or Texas. Recent category 4 or 5 storms include 2004's Charley and 1992's Andrew, but not Katrina which made landfall as a strong category 3.

 

Outside experts praised the work. The study does a good job of summarizing the current understanding of storms and warming, said Chunzai Wang, a researcher with NOAA who had no role in the study.

 

James Lee Witt, former director of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, said the study "should be a stern and stark warning that America needs to be better prepared and protected from the devastation that these kinds of hurricanes produce."

 

The issue of hurricanes and global warming splashed onto front pages in the summer of 2005 when MIT's Emanuel published a paper in Nature saying hurricane destruction has increased since the mid-1970s because of global warming, adding it would only get worse.

 

Several weeks later Hurricane Katrina struck, killing 1,500 people and the 2005 hurricane season was the busiest on record with 28 named storms and seven major hurricanes. But then other scientists led by Landsea disputed the conclusions that storms were already increasing in number or intensity.

 

Now Landsea and Emanuel are co-authors on the same paper with Knutson.

 

In 2007, the authoritative Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change said it was "more likely than not" that man-made greenhouse gases had already altered storm activity, but the authors of the new paper said more recent evidence muddies the issue.

 

"The evidence is not strong enough that we could make some kind of statement" along those lines, Knutson said. It doesn't mean the IPCC report was wrong; it was just based on science done by 2006 and recent research has changed a bit, said Knutson and the other researchers.

 

Lately, the IPCC series of reports on warming has been criticized for errors. Emanuel said the international climate panel gave "an accurate summary of science that existed at that point." - AP

[nancyk58]

News of the situation in the Philippines on 23 February 2010

 

UPDATES OF THE SITUATION IN THE PHILIPPINES ON 23 FEBRUARY 2010

 

PHIVOLCS: MILD PREDAWN QUAKES ROCK EASTERN VISAYAS

 

(02/23/2010 | 08:33 AM - GMA News.TV)

 

At least two predawn quakes rocked parts of Eastern Visayas Tuesday, but state seismologists said no damage to property or aftershock was expected.

 

Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) seismologist Dante Soneja said the first quake was recorded at Intensity III at 4:48 a.m.

 

"The quake occurred near Ormoc City. It was felt at Intensity III in Ormoc City and Cananga, Leyte," Soneja said on dzBB radio.

 

He said the quake was tectonic in origin, and its epicenter was initially traced to 17 km northeast of Ormoc City.

 

Soneja said a second quake occurred at 5:18 a.m., and was felt at Intensity II in Ormoc City and Cananga, Leyte. But he said an aftershock was not likely, since an Intensity III quake is too weak to generate one.

 

RSJ, GMANews

[nancyk58]

Philippines-related news on 24 February 2010

 

NO FILIPINO VICTIM IN PORTUGAL FLOODS - DFA

 

(02/24/2010 | 07:27 PM - GMA News.TV)

 

There was no Filipino casualty in the FLASH FLOODS and MUDSLIDES that swept MADEIRA Island in PORTUGAL last February 20, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said Wednesday.

 

Citing a report from Philippine Ambassador to Lisbon Teresa Barsana, the DFA said there is no record of Filipinos living in the Madeira area.

 

“Nevertheless, if there are Filipinos who are in need of assistance, the Embassy is ready to help them," Barsana said in an article on the DFA Web site.

 

The DFA also cited reports from Philippine honorary consul Manuel Pinhiero that no Filipino has so far asked for assistance due to the floods.

 

The DFA cited news reports showing the DEATH TOLL from the FLASH FLOODS and MUDSLIDES on MADEIRA Island continued to rise, with officials saying at least 42 people had died.

 

At least eight villages remained out of reach as of February 21.

 

Portuguese authorities began rushing aid to the tourist island off the African coast Saturday night, dispatching a Navy frigate and preparing a Hercules C-130 transport plane loaded with rescue teams, divers, and equipment to clear blocked roads, replace destroyed bridges, and repair downed power and telephone lines.

 

Portuguese Prime Minister José Sócrates flew to the Madeira, about 900 kilometers southwest of the Portuguese mainland, late Saturday to meet with regional government officials, pledging Lisbon’s full support.

 

- KBK, GMANews.TV

[nancyk58]

UPDATES OF THE SITUATION IN SOUTHEAST ASIA ON 26 - 27 FEBRUARY 2010

 

THE PHILIPPINES

 

MAGNITUDE-5.3 QUAKE ROCKS GENERAL SANTOS CITY

 

(02/27/2010 | 07:00 AM - GMA News.TV)

 

A magnitude-5.3 quake rocked General Santos City shortly after midnight Friday, with state seismologists warning of possible aftershocks.

 

The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) said the quake was recorded at 12:18 a.m., with the epicenter at 76 km southeast of General Santos City in the southern Philippines.

 

It said the quake was tectonic and was felt at Intensity IV in General Santos City.

 

While Phivolcs said no damage was expected, it said aftershocks were possible.

 

The United States Geological Survey added the epicenter was 75 km east-southeast of General Santos City; 140 km south of Davao; 1,110 km south-southeast of Manila; or 2,490 km east-northeast of Jakarta, Indonesia.

 

— LBG, GMANews

 

 

STRONG EARTHQUAKE, TSUNAMI WARNING IN SOUTH JAPAN

 

(02/27/2010 | 07:18 AM - GMA News.TV)

 

TOKYO – A magnitude 6.9 earthquake hit off Japan's southern coast early Saturday, shaking Okinawa and nearby islands, where a tsunami warning was briefly issued, Japan's Meteorological Agency said.

 

The quake occurred off the coast of the island of Okinawa at a depth of 6.2 miles (10 kilometers) at 5:31 a.m. Saturday (2031 GMT Friday), the agency said.

 

There have been no reports of major damage or casualties so far, except for reports of ruptured water pipes in two locations, Okinawa police official Noritomi Kikuzato said.

 

The Meteorological Agency had initially predicted a tsunami up to 6 feet (2 meters) near the Okinawan coast, warning nearby residents to stay away from the coastline. The agency later lifted the warning within two hours after observing only a small swelling of tide.

 

Ryota Ueno, a town official in the Nishihara district of Okinawa, said, "I was fast asleep when the quake hit, and I jumped out of bed. It felt like the shaking lasted forever."

 

There was no major damage in his house, and he then rushed to the town office to meet up with his colleagues and stand by in case of reports of damage from residents, Ueno told a telephone interview with public broadcaster NHK.

 

So far, only one resident in the town reported a ruptured water pipe, but no other damage reported, he said.

 

Masaaki Nakasone, another official at he Nanjo town, said his house shook violently but all furniture and other objects stayed intact.

 

"First there was a vertical shaking, then the house swayed sideways," Nakasone said.

 

Okinawa is about 1,000 miles (1,600 kilometers) southwest of Tokyo.

 

Japan is one of the world's most earthquake-prone countries. In 1995, a magnitude-7.2 quake in the western port city of Kobe killed 6,400 people.

 

- AP

[Apparsheik Flamboone]

anong bagyo to?? yung Ondoy ba??

[nancyk58]

News on 27 February 2010 - earthquake trigger tsunami

 

UPDATES OF THE SITUATION IN THE PHILIPPINES ON 27 FEBRUARY 2010

 

For emergencies and reports on tsunami, contact the Philippine Red Cross at 527-0000 local 143

 

 

GENERAL SANTOS AND JAPAN QUAKES

 

Two separate earthquakes, both with relatively strong magnitudes, preceded the quake in Chile.

 

A magnitude-5.3 earthquake hit MINDANAO at 12:18 a.m. of Saturday, with the epicenter first traced 76 km southeast of GENERAL SANTOS CITY.

 

It was felt at Intensity IV in General Santos City, with no reported damage and aftershocks, Phivolcs said in an advisory.

 

Four hours after the southern Philippine quake, another one with a 6.9 magnitude rocked Japan's southern coast at about 5:31 a.m. local time (4:31 a.m. in Manila).

 

Apart from damaged water pipes in some areas in Okinawa, there were no reports of major structural damage or casualties, according to The Associated Press.

 

Phivolcs initially issued a Tsunami Alert Level at 4:46 a.m. but lifted it shortly after.

 

"When no observations are still reported for the next two hours, local authorities and the public can assume this minor threat has passed," Phivolcs said in its advisory earlier in the day.

 

- With Nikka Corsino/JV/TJD, GMANews.TV

 

 

MAGNITUDE-8.8 CHILE QUAKE TRIGGERS RP TSUNAMI ALERT 1

 

(MARK D. MERUEÑAS, GMANews.TV - 02/27/2010 | 06:33 PM)

 

(Update 2 - 10:00 p.m.) State seismologists on Saturday afternoon hoisted a TSUNAMI ALERT LEVEL 1 in the Philippines after a powerful 8.8-magnitude EARTHQUAKE hit south-central CHILE on the other side of the Pacific Ocean at 3:34 a.m. Saturday (2:34 p.m. Saturday in Manila).

 

Reports said that the Philippine Embassy officials and staff in the capital city of Santiago were all safe. Meanwhile, the Philippine Red Cross has alerted its chapters and volunteers to monitor coastal areas.

 

In an interview on ABS-CBN, Renato Solidum, director of the Philippine Institute for Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs), said that if the Chile earthquake did generate tsunami waves powerful enough to cross the Pacific, they may be expected to hit Philippine coastlines sometime between 1:30 p.m. and 2 p.m. on Sunday.

 

The powerful quake rocked SOUTH-CENTRAL CHILE, KILLING at least 78 PEOPLE based on initial reports and also setting off a TSUNAMI as high as 1.29 METERS off the Pacific Ocean, according to Chilean officials.

 

Solidum said they are closely monitoring the situation on this side of the Pacific rim to determine if the tsunami triggered off Chile would reach Philippine shores.

 

"We are monitoring if the tsunami will reach the Philippines. But as a precautionary measure, we are raising a TSUNAMI ALERT LEVEL 1," said Solidum.

 

He said the Phivolcs was prompted to raise the alert at about 3:10 p.m. Saturday based on a lesson learned from a more powerful 9.5-magnitude EARTHQUAKE IN MAY 1960 that also hit CHILE. (See Wikipedia article on the 1960 Valdivia earthquake)

 

The resulting tsunami made it to the Philippine coastlines more than 24 hours after the earthquake struck the South American nation, Solidum said over radio dzBB.

 

Accounts by villagers in Samar and Surigao provinces—the areas in the country most affected by that tsunami—claimed that the huge wall of water reached as high as six meters, he added.

 

The Phivolcs official, however, clarified that a Tsunami Alert Level 1 does not yet mean people living near the country's Pacific coastlines are advised to evacuate to higher ground. - "We just have to wait for further information," he said.

 

Solidum stressed that evacuations are only necessary once a Tsunami Alert Level 3 has been raised. He advised people, especially those living in the eastern part of the Philippines, to be on the alert for any further announcements from Phivolcs.

 

In its latest advisory, Phivolcs identified 19 areas along the east coast of the Philippines as AREAS OF CONCERN:

 

Batanes Group of Islands

Cagayan

Ilocos Norte

Isabela

Quezon

Aurora

Camarines Norte

Camarines Sur

Albay

Catanduanes

Sorsogon

Northern Samar

Eastern Samar

Leyte

Southern Leyte

Surigao del Norte

Surigao del Sur

Davao Oriental

Davao del Sur

 

"While no evacuation order is in effect, communities along these coasts are advised to prepare for possible evacuation," Phivolcs said.

 

The earthquake in Chile happened at 3:34 a.m. local time (2:34 p.m. Saturday in Manila) and lasted for a minute and a half. Power and communication lines remained down in Chile's capital of Santiago, The Associated Press reported.

 

RP Embassy staff are safe

 

Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) spokesperson Ed Malaya said the six fatalities initially reported did not include a Filipino, according to a separate radio dzMM report.

 

In another texted message from Malaya on Saturday evening, he assured the public that the DFA was able to communicate with Minister Narciso Castaneda of the Philippine Embassy in Chile, who in turn reported that Ambassador Puyat Reyes and the rest of the embassy staff members are safe.

 

Castañeda's report said that Ambassador Reyes' residence in the capital city of Santiago sustained some damage, but otherwise no one was hurt among his household. He added that electricity is down in his district.

 

Malaya said that as per DFA records, there are 89 Filipinos residing or working in Chile. A check with the POEA website showed that there were 158 Filipinos working in Chile as of December 2008.

 

- With Nikka Corsino/JV/TJD, GMANews.TV

 

 

ASIA BRACES FOR TSUNAMI AFTER CHILE QUAKE

 

(ERIC TALMADGE, Associated Press Writer - 02/28/2010 | 12:30 AM - GMA News.TV)

 

TOKYO — Wide swaths of the south Pacific, Asia and Australia braced for a tsunami after a devastating earthquake hit the coast of Chile on Saturday.

 

Officials in Japan and Australia warned a TSUNAMI from the earthquake was likely to hit ASIAN, AUSTRALIAN and NEW ZEALAND SHORES WITHIN 24 HOURS. The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center in Hawaii issued a TSUNAMI WARNING that included the PHILIPPINES, TAIWAN, INDONESIA, and many island nations in the Pacific. A lower-level advisory that a tsunami was possible was issued for northern Pacific locations, including the U.S. West Coast and Alaska.

 

"Sea-level readings confirm that a tsunami has been generated which could cause widespread damage," the center said in a bulletin after the magnitude-8.8 quake. "Authorities should take appropriate action to respond to this threat."

 

The center noted that the first waves after a quake are not necessarily the largest and said tsunami wave heights are difficult to predict because they can vary significantly along a coast due to the local topography.

 

Earthquakes across the Pacific have had deadly effects on Asia in the past.

 

A TSUNAMI after a magnitude-9.5 QUAKE that struck CHILE IN 1960, THE LARGEST EARTHQUAKE EVER RECORDED, KILLED about 140 PEOPLE in JAPAN, 61 in HAWAII and 32 in the PHILIPPINES. That tsunami was about 3.3 to 13 feet (one to four meters) in height, Japan's Meteorological Agency said.

 

The tsunami from Saturday's quake was likely to be much smaller because the quake itself was not as strong.

 

Japanese public broadcaster NHK quoted earthquake experts as saying the tsunami would likely be tens of centimeters (inches) high and reach Japan in about 22 hours. A tsunami of 28 centimeters (11 inches) was recorded after a magnitude-8.4 earthquake near Chile in 2001.

 

The Meteorological Agency said it was still investigating the likelihood of a tsunami from the magnitude-8.8 quake and did not issue a formal coastal warning.

 

Australia, meanwhile, was put on a tsunami watch./COLOR]

 

The Joint Australian Tsunami Warning Center issued a warning for a "potential tsunami threat" to New South Wales state, Queensland state, Lord Howe Island and Norfolk Island. Any potential wave would not hit Australia until Sunday morning local time, it said.

 

The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology issued a low-level alert saying people should await further notice of a possible tsunami. It did not recommend evacuations.

 

The earthquake that struck early Saturday in central Chile shook the capital for a minute and a half.

 

—AP

[nancyk58]

Article about the tsunami wave triggered by CHILE quake with relation to the Philippines on 28.2.10

 

Articles from Filipino GMA News.TV:

 

RELATED STORIES

 

» Chile was ready for quake, Haiti wasn’t

» Tsunami sets off panic but does little damage

» Chile quake in 'elite class' like 2004 Asian quake

» Japan warns of tsunami up to 9 feet along coast

» Hawaii blasts sirens, warns of possible tsunami

» Tsunami causes damage on French Polynesia islands

 

 

PHIVOLCS RAISES PHILIPPINE TSUNAMI ALERT LEVEL TO 2

 

(Carmela G. Lapeña, GMA News.TV - 02/28/2010 | 10:02 AM)

 

(Updated 11 a.m.) — Local state seismologists raised the tsunami alert level to 2 in the Philippines on Sunday morning, advising the public to BE ON ALERT FOR UNUSUAL WAVES following an 8.8-magnitude earthquake that hit south-central Chile at 3:34 a.m. on Saturday (2:34 p.m. in Manila).

 

"Based on tsunami wave models and early tide gauge records of the tsunami in the Pacific, coastal areas in Philippine provinces fronting the Pacific Ocean are expected to experience wave heights of at most one meter," the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs), said in its 7 a.m. advisory.

 

Phivolcs said the first tsunami waves would arrive between 1 p.m. and 2:30 p.m. and may not always be the largest. The waves may continue for hours, it added.

 

People are advised to stay away from the shoreline during this period. People should not go to the coast to watch the tsunami. People whose houses are very near coastal areas facing the Pacific Ocean are strongly advised to go farther inland," the advisory said.

 

"It won’t be that strong," Jane Punongbayan, Phivolcs’ supervising science research specialist, told GMANews.TV in the phone interview.

 

She noted that the effects in Hawaii and New Zealand had not been as strong as the tsunami that hit a village on an island off Chile. The effects here, she added, thus would likely be even less severe.

 

EVACUATION

 

In Butuan City, about 14,900 residents from nine coastal municipalities facing the Pacific Ocean in the Caraga region have started leaving their homes towards higher ground since last night due to tsunami fear, the regional Office of Civil Defense (OCD) here reported this morning.

 

OCD Caraga Regional Director Blanche Gobenciong told GMANews.TV 10,000 people living near the coastline in Socorro in the Siargao group of islands in Surigao del Norte started leaving their homes last night.

 

About 1,600 residents from the town of San Isidro, 500 from San Benito town, 800 from Pilar town and 2,000 from General Luna town — the country’s surfing capital — had also been evacuated.

 

Meanwhile, the Albay government also prepared the evacuation of thousands even as the general evacuation of residents will start only once the alert level is hoisted another notch.

 

“Families whose houses are near the coastal areas are now ordered to evacuate to safer ground… Evacuation in target barangays in the nine coastal areas are also encouraged to commence even before alert 3," Albay Governor Joey Salceda, chairman of Albay’s Provincial Disaster Coordination Council, said in an advisory.

 

These coastal areas include the towns of Tiwi, Malinao, Malilipot, Bacacay, Sto. Domingo, Manito, Rapu-Rapu, and the cities of Legazpi and Tabaco. Salceda said about 242,955 people are vulnerable to the looming disaster because they are located at the province’s eastern seaboard fronting the Pacific Ocean.

 

Albay is among the provinces in the Philippines placed under the areas of concern following the 8.8-magnitude earthquake that jolted Chile in South America.

 

With an engrossed world watching the drama unfold on live TV, a tsunami raced across a quarter of the globe on Saturday and set off fears of a repeat of the carnage that caught the world off guard in Asia in 2004.

 

Japan was still bracing for the prospect of three-meter waves, although the tsunami delivered nothing more than a brief blow to the US and South Pacific.

 

By the time the tsunami hit Hawaii — a full 16 hours after the quake — officials had already spent the morning ringing emergency sirens and ordering residents to go to higher ground. The tsunami caused no real damage in Hawaii and the islands were back to paradise by the afternoon.

 

There were no immediate reports of widespread damage, injuries or deaths in the US or in the Pacific islands, but a tsunami that swamped a village on an island off Chile killed at least five people and left 11 missing.

 

Wire reports said waves had hit California, but barely registered amid stormy weather. Despite reports of significant problems in coastal areas of California, no injuries or major property damage occurred.

 

The tsunami was set off by a FIERCE magnitude-8.8 EARTHQUAKE IN CHILE that sent waves barreling north across the Pacific. But Pacific islands had ample time to prepare for the tsunami because the quake had struck several thousand miles away.

 

NO BIG WAVES

 

Punongbayan said the waves are expected not to go beyond a meter high, adding that alert level 2 poses no real damage.

 

"Tsunamis were reported in other countries and it may reach our shores, but it won’t be as damaging," she said in Filipino.

 

She reiterated that there was no immediate danger, and a massive evacuation would be ordered only when the alert level reaches 3.

 

"When the tsunami reached Hawaii and New Zealand, the waves were low because the impact was not direct. We expect the waves to get even lower — not more than a meter — here," Punongbayan said.

 

She said residents near the coast fronting the Pacific Ocean should wait for about two hours once the first waves arrive this afternoon.

 

If no unusual waves are observed, they may return to their houses upon the advice of the Philippine Coast Guard. Watchers are assigned by the respective Barangay Disaster Coordinating Councils in affected areas to observe the waves.

 

While there is no evacuation order for the 19 provinces along the eastern coastline, people who live on beaches are advised to move a bit inland in anticipation of unusual waves.

 

“Boats in harbors, estuaries or shallow coastal water should return to shore. Secure your boat and move away from the waterfront. Boats already at sea during this period should stay offshore in deep waters until further advised," the Phivolcs said in its latest advisory.

 

Coastal areas fronting the Pacific Ocean of the following provinces should keep watch:

 

Batanes Group of Islands

Cagayan

Northernmost area of Ilocos Norte

Isabela

Quezon

Aurora

Camarines Norte

Camarines Sur

Albay

Catanduanes

Sorsogon

Northern Samar

Eastern Samar

Leyte

Southern Leyte

Surigao del Norte

Surigao del Sur

Davao Oriental

Davao del Sur

 

The earthquake in Chile was far stronger than the one that struck Haiti last month, but the death toll only ran in the hundreds compared with Chile’s about 220,000 since the South American country is wealthier and infinitely better prepared, with strict building codes, robust emergency response and a long history of handling seismic catastrophes.

 

Foreign Affairs spokesman Eduardo Malaya told GMANews.TV there had been no reports of Filipino casualties yet from the Chilean earthquake.

 

"We have difficulty getting in touch with our embassy. Phone lines and electricity are down," he said.

 

— with Sophia Regina M. Dedace/NPA, GMANews.TV---------------------

 

Concepcion, in southern Chile, suffered severe damage in the quake

[nancyk58]

News with relevance to the Philippines on 28.2.10

 

NEWS from GMA News.TV on 28 February 2010

 

Rescuers struggle to save lives after Chile quake (Chile threads)

 

» Tsunami warning lifted; Waves reach Japan, Russia (Chile threads)

 

» Phivolcs lifts tsunami alert for RP; initial waves small (posted here)

 

» Tiny tsunami reaches Japan; Pacific damage small (posted in Chile threads)

 

» 75 FILIPINOS IN QUAKE-HIT CHILE SAFE — DFA

 

» Phivolcs raises Philippine tsunami alert level to 2

 

» Chile was ready for quake, Haiti wasn’t (posted in Chile thread)

 

» Tsunami sets off panic but does little damage

 

 

PHIVOLCS LIFTS TSUNAMI ALERT FOR RP; INITIAL WAVES SMALL

 

02/28/2010 | 03:39 PM

 

State volcanologists on Sunday afternoon lifted their tsunami warning for the Philippines in the absence of unusual, significant sea level changes near the country’s coasts in front of the Pacific Ocean in the wake of an 8.8-magnitude earthquake that hit south-central Chile on Saturday.

 

In its 3:15 p.m. advisory, the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) also said initial waves had been small and most of the Pacific islands already in its path had been spared damage.

 

"As of 3 p.m. on February 28, the Phivolcs had not received any reports of unusual significant sea level changes within the projected arrival period of tsunami waves in Philippine coasts [between] 1:00 p.m. and 2:30 p.m.," it added.

 

Phivolcs issued tsunami alert level 1 on Saturday and elevated the warning to the second level on Sunday morning, advising the public to be on the lookout for "unusual waves" near the coast.

 

With an engrossed world watching the drama unfold on live TV, a tsunami raced across a quarter of the globe on Saturday and set off fears of a repeat of the carnage that caught the world off guard in Asia in 2004.

 

But as it crossed the Pacific, the tsunami originating from Chile dealt populated areas — including the US state of Hawaii and Japan — just a brief blow.

 

The tsunami initially raised fears that the Pacific could fall victim to killer waves similar to the ones that killed 230,000 people in the Indian Ocean in 2004 the morning after Christmas. During that disaster, there was little to no warning and much confusion about the impending waves.

 

The tsunami was set off by a fierce magnitude-8.8 earthquake in Chile that sent waves barreling north across the Pacific. But Pacific islands had ample time to prepare for the tsunami because the quake had struck several thousand miles away.

 

In its afternoon advisory the Phivolcs said observations of the passage of the tsunami in nearby countries showed that the waves were small and nondamaging.

 

Back to normal

"By 4:30 p.m. on February 28, if no other significant sea level changes were observed, local authorities and the public can assume that the tsunami threat has passed. People may resume their normal activities," it added.

 

Phivolcs Director Renato Solidum denied that the agency had overreacted to the tsunami threat. "It is the response that matters most," he told ANC.

 

Villagers living near the Philippines’ eastern coast were advised to move to higher ground, as the Phivolcs warned of waves as high as a meter between 1 p.m. and 2:30 p.m. Local volcanologists, however, were quick to point out that the waves were unlikely to cause major damage.

 

Despite assurances from Phivolcs of no immediate danger, Philippine National Police head Director-General Jesus Verzosa ordered all police unit commanders to form local disaster coordinating committees in 19 provinces.

 

In separate interviews on dzBB radio on Sunday morning, the governors of provinces with coastlines in front of the Pacific Ocean — Ace Barbers of Surigao del Norte, Joseph Cua of Catanduanes and Bellaflor Castillo of Aurora — said their local disaster coordinating units had readied evacuation procedures for residents.

 

In Butuan City, about 14,900 residents from nine coastal municipalities facing the Pacific Ocean in the Caraga region started leaving their homes towards higher ground as early as Saturday night due to tsunami fear.

 

Meanwhile, the Albay government also prepared the evacuation of thousands as it waited for the Phivolcs to raise the alert level by one more notch.

 

The earthquake in Chile was far stronger than the one that struck Haiti last month, but the death toll only ran in the hundreds compared with Chile’s about 220,000 since the South American country is wealthier and infinitely better prepared, with strict building codes, robust emergency response and a long history of handling seismic catastrophes.

 

— Sophia M. Dedace and Norman P. Aquino, GMANews.TV

[nancyk58]

Filipino News on 1 March 2010

 

UPDATE OF THE SITUATION IN THE PHILIPPINES ON 1 MARCH 2010

 

5.0-MAGNITUDE QUAKE HITS DAVAO ORIENTAL– Phivolcs

 

(03/01/2010 | 04:57 PM – GMA News.TV)

 

An earthquake with a magnitude of 5.0 on the Richter scale struck southern Philippines past noon Monday, according to the government-run Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs).

 

Reynaldo Antioquia, Phivolcs science research assistant, said the quake, which was tectonic in origin, occurred at 12:15 p.m. Its epicenter was located about 16 kilometers, 26 degrees of Mati, Davao Oriental with a depth of 1 kilometer.

 

The tremor was felt at Intensity 5 in Brgy. Mayo and Intensity 4 in Brgy. Poblacion both in Davao Oriental’s Mati City.

Intensity 4 was also felt in the province’s Tarrragona town, while Intensity 2 was felt in Davao City.

 

There is no immediate report on casualties or damages, according to Antioquia.

 

- ARCS, GMANews

 

 

PREDAWN QUAKE ROCKS BATANES - PHIVOLCS

 

(03/01/2010 | 10:27 PM - GMA News.TV)

 

A magnitude-5.1 quake rocked parts of Batanes in extreme northern Luzon shortly after midnight Sunday, but state seismologists said there was no damage to property.

 

The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) said the quake was recorded at 12:05 a.m. Monday, with the epicenter traced to 128 km southwest of Basco, Batanes.

 

It said the quake was tectonic in origin and was felt at Intensity IV in Sanchez Mira town in Cagayan province.

 

No damage or aftershock was expected, Phivolcs said.

- KBK, GMANews.TV

[nancyk58]

The Philippines need your help / news on 2 March 2010

 

UPDATE OF THE SITUATION IN THE PHILIPPINES ON 2 MARCH 2010

 

ARROYO PAUSES IN HER SPEECH AS MAGNITUDE-6.1 QUAKE JOLTS CAGAYAN

 

(03/02/2010 | 12:52 PM - GMA News.TV)

 

President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo was in the middle of her speech in Cagayan when the earth suddenly shook Tuesday morning.

 

She immediately stiffened, then paused in her speech, which dealt with the government's agriculture projects in the said northern Luzon province, according to radio dzMM.

 

What Mrs. Arroyo felt beneath her feet was a magnitude-6.1 earthquake that struck the area at 10:51 a.m., according to the government-run Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs).

 

The tremor's epicenter was traced some 130 kilometers north of Cagayan province's Tuguegarao City, Phivolcs said.

 

It was the third significant quake of tectonic origin that hit the Philippines since the magnitude-8.8 tremor shook Chile last February 27.

 

A magnitude-5.1 quake rocked parts of Batanes in extreme northern Luzon shortly after midnight Sunday. On Monday, a magnitude-5.0 tremor jolted parts of Davao Oriental province.

 

Tuesday’s earthquake was felt at Intensity V in Cagayan's Sta. Ana and Aparri towns; at Intensity IV in Vigan, Ilocos Sur; Intensity III in Laoag and Pasuqin, Ilocos Norte, Palanan in Isabela, and Tuguegarao City; Intenisty II in Albano, Isabela; and Intensity I at the Manila Ocean Park in Manila.

 

Phivolcs director Renato Solidum assured the public that the seismic disturbance would not pose any danger to life and properties, let alone trigger a tsunami in the seas.

 

"It's not that strong. Even with a magnitude-7 quake, only small tsunamis are created," Solidum told radio dzBB in an interview on Tuesday.

 

Gov. Alvaro Antonio said the earthquake did not wreak havoc in the province and the locals did not even panic. He said he was attending a program when the quake struck.

 

"The quake had no adverse effect. It was only mild. It was only felt for 15 seconds," Antonio told dzBB in a separate interview on Tuesday.

 

"I was at a program a while ago, the stadium was jam-packed and nobody panicked," he said.

 

- MARK D. MERUEÑAS/ARCS, RJAB Jr., GMANews.TV

 

 

 

MAYON ALERT LEVEL DOWNGRADED TO 1

 

(03/02/2010 | 06:17 PM - GMA News.TV)

 

State volcanologists on Tuesday morning lowered the alert level of Mayon Volcano from two to one.

 

In an advisory posted on its Web site, the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) explained that alert level one meant that eruption was no longer imminent.

 

The six-kilometer radius danger zone, however, will remain off limits to public due to the continuing threat from sudden small explosions and rock falls.

 

"Active river channels and those areas perennially identified as lahar prone in the southeast sector should also be avoided especially during bad weather conditions or when there is heavy and prolonged rainfall," the advisory read.

 

According to Phivolcs, the number of Mayon's volcanic earthquakes is already within the normal level of zero to four quakes a day.

 

Volcanic tremors associated with magma movement within have likewise become "scarce and sometimes not recorded at all," it added.

 

Phivolcs said that while the crater glow of the Mayon Volcano remained at intensity II, it does not indicate any re-intensification. "Steam emission was most of the time weak and passively rising from the summit crater," the advisory read.

 

At the same time, Mayon also showed a deflated volcano edifice which indicates the absence of fresh magma supply. Its sulfur dioxide emission rate since January 13 up to March has consistently ranged from 110 to 2,021 tonnes which is consistent with its post eruptive gas emission rate.

 

- Aie Balagtas See/KBK, GMANews.TV

[nancyk58]

News in relation to the Philippines on 3.3.2010

 

NEWS IN RELATION TO THE PHILIPPINES ON 3 MARCH 2010

 

EFFECTS OF EL NIÑO BEING FELT ACROSS THE COUNTRY

 

(03/03/2010 | 01:44 AM - GMA News.TV)

 

The El Niño dry spell has been causing losses in agriculture and tourism across the country, from farmlands up north to poultry farms and tourist destinations down south.

 

In Benguet in northern Philippines, water sources for mountain farmlands planted to potato, cabbage and other temperate vegetables have began to dry up due to El Niño, threatening huge agricultural losses for the country’s “Salad Bowl" and a rise in the prices of vegetables.

 

“There will be changes in the characteristic of plants. Pests and diseases are also possible," said Lolita Bentres, provincial agriculturist of Benguet.

 

In Ilagan, capital town of Isabela province also in northern Philippines, the Pinsal Falls in the Ilagan Sanctuary, a popular tourist attraction among locals, has begun to dry up also due to El Niño.

 

“If before it was as wide as an entire curtain span, now it’s probably just half a curtain wide. It’s like half of the water has been lost," said Billy Perez of the Ilagan Sanctuary.

 

A seven-foot deep swimming pool inside the sanctuary, which used to be open for public use, has also stopped operations since the spring where it gets its water supply has also dried up.

 

Farther south, in the Bicol region, corn farmers have appealed to their provincial governments for assistance to avoid further damage to their crops due to the dry spell.

 

In poultry farms in Zamboanga City in Mindanao, an average of 30 to 40 chickens die daily due to heat stroke and dehydration.

 

“That’s natural due to the heat, and also, drinking water for them has become scarce somewhat, so we raisers of chicken and other livestock are now having problems," said a local poultry farm owner.

 

Even water levels in the Maria Cristina Falls in Iligan City have begun to decrease due to the dry spell. Aside from being a popular tourist spot, the falls also provides hydroelectric power in Lanao del Norte.

- Andreo C. Calonzo/JV, GMANews.TV and GMA News

 

 

CAGAYAN EYES MULTI-WATER SOURCE SYSTEM TO TAPER EFFECTS OF DROUGHT

 

(03/03/2010 | 10:30 AM - GMA News.TV)

 

Officials from the northern province of Cagayan say it needs to activate the multiple uses of water systems to ease the severe effects of the El Niño phenomenon.

 

Jack Enrile, senior economic adviser of the province and concurrent senior consultant of the Cagayan Economic Zone Authority (CEZA), said that with the scarcity of water brought by the prolonged drought, water resources should be put into better use to enable communities to ease the impact of the dry spell.

 

"While water for agriculture is essential, we will also activate the multiple uses of this scarce resource for home gardens, poultry and livestock raising, aquaculture and rural enterprise among others," Enrile said.

 

EXPECT THE WORST

Enrile made the recommendation on Tuesday as the Philippine Atmospheric Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa) predicted that Northern Luzon, particularly Cagayan Valley, will experience temperatures of up to 40 degrees Celsius from May to June.

 

"We must expect the worst since the arrival of summer has yet to be officially declared and already hotter weather is predicted," he said.

 

Among his recommendations is the optimized tapping of water from upper catchments down to estuaries and coastal wetlands through multi-purpose reservoirs.

 

Water impoundment projects in Cagayan already exist but Enrile said its integrated management should be strengthened since irrigation systems are often the only water providers during this kind of weather disturbances. Farmers are affected most because many cannot still afford irrigation service.

 

BILLIONS IN LOSSES

The Philippines is expected to lose at least P20 billion in the agriculture sector due to the El Niño phenomenon.

 

Data from the Department of Agriculture (DA) show that an estimated P12.24 billion worth in rice production, P5.2 billion in corn, P2.54 billion in marine catch and P443 million in high value crops will be affected by the El Niño crisis which is expected to last until July.

 

Cagayan and Isabela, the worst hit by the drought, have already lost more than P3 billion in agricultural inputs with Cagayan shouldering nearly half of the total losses in the region.

 

Other areas hit by the dry spell are Benguet, Batanes, Nueva Vizcaya, Nueva Ecija, Bulacan, Pampanga, Batangas, Iloilo, Guimaras, Antique, Negros Occidental and Capiz.

 

Magat Dam in Ramon, Isabela, the source of water to some 84,000 hectares of farmlands, has reported a record low water level while supply in Metro Manila has been cut to almost a quarter of what Angat Dam used to allocate.

 

Reports said poultry farms in Zamboanga City in Mindanao are reportedly losing an average of 30 to 40 chickens daily due to heat stroke and dehydration.

 

RECEDING WATERS

Water falls including Pinzal in Isabela and Maria Cristina in Iligan City, which provides hydroelectric power in Lanao del Norte, have likewise been affected.

 

This scarcity of water has prompted Enrile to issue his proposal of best water management practices to mitigate the damage to the economy in Cagayan and elsewhere.

 

"Proper water management is the key in easing the impact of drought. Even if irrigation systems have been designed for field crops, they can also be used such as for cattle or backyard irrigation," he said.

 

"We must prepare for what the weather bureau predicts to a reduction in rainfall of up to 60 percent," he added.

- RSJ, GMANews.TV

[nancyk58]

The Philippines on 4 March 2010

 

UPDATE OF THE SITUATION IN THE PHILIPPINES ON 4.3.10

 

PINOYS IN CHILE ARE SAFE AND ACCOUNTED FOR, DFA MAINTAINS

 

(Jerrie M. Abella, GMANews.TV - 03/04/2010 | 02:30 AM)

 

The Department of Foreign Affairs reiterated its earlier statement that Filipinos working and residing in earthquake-ravaged Chile are “fine" and fully accounted for.

 

“They are fine, based on the report of the embassy there," Department of Foreign Affairs spokesperson Eduardo Malaya said, reacting to criticism leveled against the Philippine Embassy in Chile for its alleged slow and insufficient response to the disaster.

 

Malaya added there are no updates yet to the February 28 bulletin posted on the agency’s Website, which stated that the 75 Filipinos in the South American country are all “safe."

 

"There are 75 Filipinos in Chile, mostly priests, nuns, engineers, businessmen and spouses of Chilean nationals. There are no Filipino workers deployed in the country," the bulletin further quoted Philippine Ambassador to Chile Consuelo Puyat-Reyes as saying.

 

However, in a Facebook note posted and also sent to GMANews.TV via email, a Filipina residing in Chile chided the embassy for “inconsistencies" in documenting the number of Filipinos in the Latin American nation.

 

“Just how many of us Filipinos live here? 158? 89? Or 75? It is disappointing to think that our own Embassy in Santiago cannot keep track of our fellow Filipinos when we number less than 200 in this country," Ann Mendoza-Tengco stated.

 

Tengco was referring to earlier confusion as to the number of Filipinos in the country, after the DFA clarified that there are 75 Filipinos there, and not 89 as it earlier reported. Data from the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA), however, show there are 158 Filipinos in Chile as of December 2008.

 

She also refuted the Embassy’s claim that there are no overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) in Chile, saying majority of the Filipinos there are OFWs working as domestic helpers.

 

Data from the POEA show that as of December 2008, the count of land-based OFWs deployed in Chile was 36, and the figure has been continually increasing since 2004 from just two OFWs.

 

“There has been no posting about the earthquake or any advisories (including any contingency, evacuation and repatriation plans)… We are also certain that attempts to communicate with the Filipinos did not commence [until] March 1 – more than 48 hours after the quake," Tengco added.

 

Malaya, however, said there appeared to be no need for evacuation nor repatriation as the Embassy has not received any request for such.

 

He will nevertheless get in touch with the Embassy for updates, Malaya added.

- JV, GMANews.TV

 

 

NO PINOY CASUALTIES IN TAIWAN QUAKE - MECO

 

(03/04/2010 | 04:47 PM - GMA News.TV)

 

No Filipino was hurt in the powerful 6.4-magnitude quake that rocked Taiwan Thursday morning, the Manila Economic and Cultural Office (MECO) said.

 

MECO resident representative Antonio Basilio said they have not received any casualty reports, even as he assured that the Philippine government is closely coordinating with Taiwan officials to ensure that some 75,000 Filipinos there are safe and accounted for.

 

"Fortunately, Taiwan has heightened preparedness for natural disasters like this and its building codes to help ensure structural integrity against earthquakes are among the world's most stringent," Basilio said.

 

He also clarified that there were no major damage in infrastructure in Kaohsiung City except for shattered glass windows and broken ceilings.

 

Kaohsiung City, where MECO maintains an office, is about a 45-minute car drive to Hsien, Kaohsiung County where the tremor's epicenter was traced.

 

The quake was also felt in varying degrees in the rest of Taiwan, its government said.

 

Shortly after the quake struck, a fire broke out at the Everest Textile Factory in southern Taiwanese city of Tainan, where at least 150 Filipino are reportedly working. No Filipino was also injured in the incident, Basilio said.

 

"We have about 150 OFWs there [Tainan] and the initial report is that all are safe. We are coordinating with their employer to ensure that they are all adequately taken cared of," he said.

 

An Associated Press report said 12 people were reported hurt in the earthquake. No tsunami alert was issued.

 

- RSJ, GMANews.TV

 

 

Phivolcs: QUAKES ROCK MASBATE, BATANES

 

(03/04/2010 | 10:24 PM - GMA News.TV)

 

Three earthquakes rocked the country Thursday - two in Masbate province in Bicol while one in Batanes islands in extreme northern Luzon.

 

The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) said the first quake in Masbate occurred at 12:30 p.m., and was tectonic in origin.

 

In its report, Phivolcs said the quake measured Magnitude 4.5, and the epicenter was traced to 18 km northeast of Cataingan town.

 

Phivolcs said the quake was felt at Intensity III in Palanas, Masbate; Intensity II in Masbate City; and Intensity I in Tabon in Juban town in Sorsogon.

 

A second quake was felt at 12:31 p.m. in Masbate, measuring Magnitude 2.6. The epicenter was traced to 32 km southeast of Masbate town in Masbate. Phivolcs said the second quake was tectonic and was felt at Intensity II in Cataingan, Masbate. No aftershock was expected in both quakes.

 

Meanwhile, Phivolcs said a Magnitude-4.9 quake was felt in Batanes at 10:08 a.m., with the epicenter traced to 48 km southeast of Basco. It was tectonic in origin and was felt at Intensity III in Basco, Batanes.

 

No damage or aftershock was expected from the Batanes quake, Phivolcs said.

 

- KBK, GMANews.TV

 

 

MILD QUAKE ROCKS CAMIGUIN — Phivolcs

 

(03/04/2010 | 12:36 PM - GMA News.TV)

 

A mild magnitude-3 quake rocked parts of Camiguin Island in Mindanao shortly after midnight Wednesday, the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology said Wednesday.

 

Phivolcs said there was no damage reported and no aftershocks expected in the quake that was recorded at 12:16 a.m. Thursday.

 

The epicenter was traced to 25 km northeast of Mambajao in Camiguin.

 

Phivolcs said the quake was tectonic in origin and was felt at Intensity I in Mambajao, Camiguin Island.

 

- RSJ, GMANews.TV

[nancyk58]

News in relation to the Philippines / 9 March 2010

 

UPDATES OF THE SITUATION IN THE PHILIPPINES FROM GMA NEWS.TV ON 9 MARCH 2010

 

NO FILIPINO CASUALTY IN TURKEY QUAKE - DFA

 

(03/08/2010 | 10:34 PM - GMA News.TV)

 

There were no Filipino casualties reported in the 6.0-magnitude earthquake that hit Turkey, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said on Monday.

 

"The Philippine Embassy in Ankara informed the DFA that there is no reported injury or casualty among Filipinos during the earthquake that hit the province of Elazig in Eastern Turkey," DFA spokesperson Eduardo Malaya said in a text message to GMANews.TV.

 

"Most of the Filipinos, who number some 5,500, reside in the city of Istanbul and nearby areas," he added.

 

As of 2008, the Commission on Filipinos Overseas estimates there are 5,444 Filipinos in Turkey.

 

Of the figure, 82 are recorded by the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration as overseas Filipino workers. - Jerrie Abella/KBK, GMANews.TV

 

 

MAGNITUDE-5 QUAKE ROCKS LEYTE

 

(03/09/2010 | 11:09 PM - GMA News.TV)

 

A magnitude-5 quake rocked parts of Leyte province in Eastern Visayas Tuesday afternoon, even as state seismologists warned of possible aftershocks.

 

The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology said the quake was recorded at 2 p.m., with the epicenter at 33 km southeast of Borongan town in Eastern Samar.

 

It said the quake was tectonic and felt at Intensity 4 in Borongan, Can-avid, and Llorente towns in Eastern Samar.

 

The quake was felt at Intensity 3 in Tolosa, Leyte, Tacloban City, San Policarpio, Gen. MacArthur, San Julian, Taft, and Sulat towns in Eastern Samar; and at Intensity 2 in Jaro, Carigara, and Baybay towns in Leyte.

 

While Phivolcs said there was no damage expected, it said aftershocks were possible. - JV, GMANews.TV

[nancyk58]

Interesting article from 9.3.10 on the number of earthquakes

 

NOT MORE QUAKES, JUST MORE PEOPLE IN QUAKE ZONES

 

(Seth Borenstein, AP Science Writer - 03/09/2010 | 11:24 AM) - GMA News.TV

 

First the ground shook in Haiti, then Chile and now Turkey. The earthquakes keep coming hard and fast this year, causing people to wonder if something sinister is happening underfoot. - It's not.

 

While it may seem as if there are more earthquakes occurring, there really aren't. The problem is what's happening above ground, not underground, experts say.

 

More people are moving into megacities that happen to be built on fault lines, and they're rapidly putting up substandard buildings that can't withstand earthquakes, scientists say.

 

And around-the-clock news coverage and better seismic monitoring make it seem as if earthquakes are ever-present.

 

"I can definitely tell you that the world is not coming to an end," said Bob Holdsworth, an expert in tectonics at Durham University in northern England, referring to the number of quakes.

 

A 7.0 magnitude quake last month killed more than 230,000 people in Haiti. Less than two weeks ago, an 8.8 magnitude quake — the fifth-strongest since 1900 — killed more than 900 people in Chile. And on Monday, a strong pre-dawn 6.0 magnitude quake struck rural eastern Turkey, killing at least 51 people.

 

On average, there are 134 earthquakes a year that have a magnitude between a 6.0 and 6.9, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. This year is off to a fast start with 40 so far — more than in most years for that time period.

 

But that's because the 8.8 quake in Chile generated a large number of strong aftershocks, and so many occurring this early in the year skews the picture, said Paul Earle, a seismologist at the U.S. Geological Survey.

 

Also, it's not the number of quakes, but their devastating impacts that gain attention with the death tolls largely due to construction standards and crowding, Earle said.

 

"The standard mantra is earthquakes don't kill people, buildings do," he said.

 

There have been more deaths over the past decade from earthquakes, said University of Colorado geologist Roger Bilham, who just returned from Haiti. In an opinion column last month in the journal Nature, Bilham called for better construction standards in the world's megacities. Last year his study of earthquake deaths, population, quake size and other factors produced disturbing results. And that was before Haiti, Chile and Turkey.

 

"We found four times as many deaths in the last 10 years than in the previous 10 years," Bilham told The Associated Press Monday. "That's definitely up and scary."

 

Other experts said they too have noticed a general increase in earthquake deaths. The World Health Organization tallied than 453,000 deaths from earthquakes from 2000 to 2009, up markedly from the previous two decades. In the 1970s, however, a massive quake in China killed about 440,000 people.

 

But those numbers fluctuate every year. Statisticians say the hit-or-miss nature of earthquake fatalities makes it hard to see a trend in deaths.

 

A quick analysis by two statistics experts found no statistically significant upward trend since the 1970s because of the variability — despite the earthquake experts' perceptions that deaths have been rising, at least since the 1980s.

 

The Haiti quake likely set a modern record for deaths per magnitude of earthquake "solely as a function of too many people crammed into a city that wasn't meant to have that many people and have an earthquake," said University of Miami geologist Tim Dixon.

 

Disaster experts say they've seen more deaths especially from quakes that wouldn't have been as bad decades ago. They point to two in Turkey and India — a 1999 earthquake in Izmit that killed 18,000 and the 2001 disaster that killed 20,000 in Bhuj.

 

"Look at some of the big ones recently," said Debarati Guha-Sapir, director of the WHO's disaster epidemiology research center. "Had the Izmit or Bhuj quakes happened 30 years ago, the events would have been relatively insignificant as the population of these cities were a third of what it was when it did happen. Increasing population density makes a small event into a big one."

 

Disaster and earthquake experts say the problem will only worsen. Of the 130 cities worldwide with more than 1 million population, more than half are on fault lines, making them more prone to earthquakes, Bilham said.

 

"I've calculated more than 400 million people at risk just from those," he said.

 

Developing nations, where the population is booming, also don't pay attention to earthquake preparedness, Bilham said. "If you have a problem feeding yourself, you're not really going to worry about earthquakes."

 

He said, when he went to Haiti after the January quake, he had hope that construction would be quake-proof because of the emphasis on it. Instead, people rebuilt their houses their old unsafe ways.

 

Another reason quakes seems worse is that we're paying attention more. The phenomenon of Haiti quickly followed by the 8.8 in Chile got everyone's attention.

 

But it won't last, said disaster researcher Dennis Mileti, a former seismic safety commissioner for the state of California.

 

"People are paying attention to the violent planet we've always lived in," Mileti said. "Come back in another six months if there has been no earthquakes, most people will have forgotten it again." - AP

[nancyk58]

Updates of the situation in the PHILIPPINES on 12.3.10

 

UPDATES OF THE SITUATION IN THE PHILIPPINES ON 12 MARCH 2010

 

PHIVOLCS: MILD EARTHQUAKE ROCKS MASBATE

 

(03/12/2010 | 09:01 AM - GMA News.TV)

 

A mild magnitude-3.6 quake rocked parts of Masbate province Thursday night, but state seismologists said there was no casualty or damage expected.

 

The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology said Friday the quake was recorded at 10:32 p.m. Thursday, and was tectonic in origin.

 

It traced the epicenter to 17 km southeast of Masbate town in Masbate province.

 

Phivolcs said the quake was felt at Intensity III in Masbate, Masbate.

 

But it said it expected no damage or aftershock from Thursday night's tremor. — RSJ, GMANews.TV

[nancyk58]

The Philippines need your help / news on 14.3.10

 

UPDATE OF THE SITUATION IN the PHILIPPINES ON 14 MARCH 2010

 

PHIVOLCS: MAGNITUDE-5 QUAKE ROCKS SURIGAO

 

(03/14/2010 | 08:52 PM - GMA News.TV)

 

A magnitude-5 quake rocked Surigao del Sur province in Mindanao Sunday evening, with state seismologists warning of possible aftershocks.

 

The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology said the quake was recorded at 5:50 p.m., with the epicenter traced to 38 km southeast of Tandag.

 

It said the quake was tectonic, and was felt at Intensity III in Lingig, Surigao del Sur; and San Francisco, Agusan del Sur.

 

The quake was also felt at Intensity II in Bislig, Surigao del Sur; and Barobo, Surigao del Sur.

 

While Phivolcs said there was no damage to property expected, residents should expect some aftershocks.

- KBK, GMANews.TV

 

 

EL NIÑO DRIVES MONKEYS AWAY FROM SANCTUARY

 

( Williamor Magbanua, GMANews.TV - 03/14/2010 | 11:22 PM )

 

MAKILALA, North Cotabato – The dry spell brought by the El Niño weather phenomenon has affected the primary tourist attraction of a small village here: monkeys.

 

According to Darwin Paraiso, councilman of Barangay New Israel, some of the area’s close to 1,000 free-roaming monkeys have fled to a nearby forested mountain to search for food as the unusually high temperature caused severe damage on crops.

 

“It all started when severe heat due to the El Niño phenomenon wilted some crops in the village," Paraiso said on Sunday, adding that banana plants, which are the monkeys' main sustenance, were among the affected crops.

 

Paraiso said the monkeys have also started fighting during feeding time, particularly over bananas donated by Dole-Stanfilco. He said these fights often resulted to deaths, particularly of small and aging monkeys.

 

“This may be the reason that some of these animals abandoned our place, preferring to live in the mountainous side of the village," Paraiso said.

 

Most of those who stayed in the village, however, have resorted to stealing food like biscuits and bread from residents, prompting the community to install iron grills and screens on their windows, Paraiso said.

 

He said that despite this, the villagers still refrain from harming the creatures. “We love them, that is why we are protecting them."

 

Barangay New Israel is recognized by the Makilala local government untis as one of the local tourist destinations in North Cotabato because of the numerous monkeys living harmoniously with the villagers.

 

Paraiso said monkeys are free to move from one place to another without fear of being killed by the villagers since the Barangay council passed a resolution protecting these creatures.

 

“These animals even play with us and our children and visitors who happen to visit our place," Paraiso said.

 

Local tourists coming from the neighboring towns in North Cotabato and provinces of Davao del Sur, Bukidnon and Maguindanao usually have their field trips in this village to enjoy observing these monkeys.

 

Since its official declaration as a tourist spot in the 1990’s, Makilala has become known not just in the Philippines but in other parts of the world as well.

 

Paraiso estimated that some 100,000 visitors, including foreigners, have already been to the monkey sanctuary. Proof of this are the old logbooks filed in the visitors' nook stockroom. - KBK, GMANews

[nancyk58]

Updates of the situation in the Philippines on 16.3.10

 

UPDATE ON THE SITUATION IN THE PHILIPPINES ON 16 MARCH 2010

 

STORM WITH ONDOY's STRENGTH CAN SOLVE MINDANAO's WATER, POWER SHORTAGE

 

(03/16/2010 | 08:33 PM - GMA News.TV)

 

A storm with the magnitude of Ondoy — which submerged three-fourths of Metro Manila — will immediately solve Mindanao’s water and power shortages, Local Water Utilities Administration (LWUA) chief Prospero Pichay Jr. said on Tuesday.

 

“It will just take one Ondoy," Pichay said, referring to the storm which inundated Luzon, killed 337 persons, and damaged P10.45 billion worth of crops and infrastructure.

 

“One day, if not three to four days," he added, referring to the amount of rainfall needed. “[if that happens], nature will be able to address the calamity in Mindanao."

 

Pichay also expressed hope that a low pressure area near Mindanao will pass by the island and bring large amounts of rainfall although not as much as those brought by Ondoy.

 

However, the website of the government weather bureau — the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical, and Astronomical Services — showed a cloudless satellite picture of the Philippines.

 

Extreme northern Luzon is currently experiencing a cold front while strong northeasterly to easterly winds are flowing in Luzon, Visayas and eastern Mindanao.

 

Last March 12, President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo issued Proclamation 2022.

 

Besides placing Mindanao under a state of calamity, the declaration also allowed the use of calamity funds of local government units, which are expected to alleviate 11-hour blackouts in the country’s second largest island.

 

Mindanao requires an additional 700 megawatts of electricity.

 

Currently, Lanao Lake, which powers the Agus hydroelectric complex, needs to be desilted so that water flow could provide more electricity. The Agus 2 plant is only producing 100 mWs of electricity, instead of its capacity of 800 to 900 mWs.

 

When water levels are low, especially during El Niño, there will definitely be a lot of shortage, he said.

 

In the meantime, to solve Metro Manila’s water issues, Pichay proposed drilling deep wells along Laguna de Bay to provide an alternative when Angat Dam — the capital’s main water source — reach critical lows.

 

Water from Laguna de Bay is expected to be clean because it would be purified when it passes through the soil, he said.

 

“Mindanao, even without El Niño is already in a critical stage. The Visayas does not have much problem. Luzon, in the next five years if you do not address, will also have the same problem," he said. - GMANews.TV

[nancyk58]

UPDATE OF THE SITUATION ON THE PHILIPPINES ON 22 MARCH 2010

 

RP EXPECTS FIRST CYCLONE OF THE YEAR ON THURSDAY

 

(03/22/2010 | 11:23 PM - GMA News.TV)

 

State weather forecasters on Monday spotted a brewing weather disturbance off Mindanao, which could become the first cyclone to enter the country for the year.

 

A report over GMA News’ “24 Oras" said “Agaton" is expected to enter the Philippine area of responsibility on Thursday.

 

The Philippine Atmospheric Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) said the cyclone may not make a landfall, but would induce rains that could increase water levels of the dams that have reached critical lows because of the El Niño dry spell.

 

In its 5 p.m. update, PAGASA said the wind convergence currently affecting Mindanao and Eastern Visayas would bring scattered rain showers and thunderstorms in the said areas.

 

“The rest of the country will have partly cloudy to cloudy skies with isolated rain showers or thunderstorms," PAGASA said on its Web site.

 

“Moderate to strong winds blowing from the Northeast to Southeast will prevail over the Eastern section of Northern and Central Luzon and coming from the Northeast and East over the rest of the Eastern section of the country and the coastal waters along these areas will be moderate to rough," it added.

 

Elsewhere, winds will be light to moderate blowing from the Northeast to East with slight to moderate seas.

 

The country is experiencing up to 36-degree Celsius weather due to the El Niño phenomenon, which is wrecking havoc on many farmlands particularly in the Visayas and Mindanao.

 

The government said damage to agriculture caused by the dry spells has gone up to P8.588 billion, even as the number of people affected continues to grow.

 

In a March 19 report posted on its Web site, the National Disaster Coordinating Council (NDCC) said the damage was recorded in Bicol, Davao del Sur, Davao del Norte, Davao City, South Cotabato and Maguindanao.

 

The NDCC said the damage now involves 576,607.61 tons in production loss in 749,467.94 hectares in Luzon, Western and Central Visayas, Regions 9 to 12, and Cordillera.

 

At least 301,135 farmers and their families had been affected because of the dry spells – 124,515 of them in Central Visayas and 117,844 in Southwestern Mindanao.

 

Last year, THREE STRONG TYPHOONS wrecked havoc in Luzon, resulting to HUNDREDS OF DEATHS and millions of pesos worth in agriculture and infrastructure damages.

 

– Aie Balagtas See/KBK, GMANews.TV

[nancyk58]

Update of the situation in the Philippines on 27.3.10

 

UPDATE OF THE SITUATION IN THE PHILIPPINES ON 27 MARCH 2010

 

EARTHQUAKE ROCKS METRO MANILA, PARTS OF LUZON

 

ANDREO C. CALONZO, GMANews.TV03/25/2010 | 01:50 PM

 

(Updated 2:16 PM) - A 5.9-magnitude earthquake shook Metro Manila and other parts of Luzon past noon Thursday, state seismologists said.

 

The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) said the epicenter of the tectonic quake was traced 111 kilometers west of Mamburao, Occidental Mindoro at the South China Sea.

 

The quake was felt at intensity V in Looc, Lubang Island in Occidental Mindoro; intensity IV in Quezon City, Mandaluyong, Makati, and Clark, Pampanga; and intensity II in Bagac, Bataan and Canlubang, Laguna, Phivolcs said.

 

Aftershocks are expected, although the quake is not expected to generate tsunamis because “it was not too strong," Phivolcs added.

 

According to a separate report from the United States Geological Survey (USGS), the quake, which occurred at 1:29 p.m., measured at magnitude 6.1, with an epicenter traced off Lubang Island, Occidental Mindoro.

 

The epicenter had a depth of 72.4 kilometers, the USGS said.

 

GMANews.TV Facebook fans from various parts of Metro Manila, Bataan, Pampanga and Laguna experienced the earthquake.

 

 

USGS: PREDAWN MAGNITUDE-5 QUAKE ROCKS CENTRAL RP

 

03/27/2010 | 08:32 AM - GMA News.TV

 

A magnitude-5 quake rocked parts of Central Philippines before dawn Saturday, but there was no initial report of casualty or damage.

 

The United States Geological Survey said the quake was recorded at 2:17 a.m., with the epicenter traced to 125 km east-southeast of Pandan, Catanduanes in Bicol Region.

 

It said the epicenter was 155 km east of Legazpi City in Albay; 160 km north-northeast of Calbayog in Samar province in Eastern Visayas; or 475 km east-southeast of Manila.

 

Last Thursday, a magnitude-6 quake rocked parts of Southern Luzon and was felt in Metro Manila and nearby provinces.

 

But the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) said no damage was expected from Thursday's quake.

 

On Saturday morning, Phivolcs reported that a magnitude-3.3 quake rocked parts of Bohol province in Central Visayas Friday night, but state seismologists said no damage was expected.

 

Phivolcs said the quake occurred at 7:40 p.m., and was tectonic in origin, with epicenter at about 9 km northeast of Tagbilaran City.

 

Intensity IV was felt in Tagbilaran City, and in Dauis and Corella towns in Bohol. — LBG, GMANews.TV

[nancyk58]

The Philippines need your help / news on 29.3.10

 

UPDATE OF NEWS IN RELATION TO NATURAL DISASTERS ON 29 MARCH 2010

 

Phivolcs: Magnitude-4.6 quake rocks Cagayan

 

03/29/2010 | 05:13 PM - GMA News.TV

 

A magnitude-4.6 quake rocked parts of Cagayan province in northern Luzon, but state seismologists said no damage was expected.

 

The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) said the tectonic quake was recorded at 1:39 p.m. and its epicenter was traced about 100 km northeast of Tuguegarao City in Cagayan.

 

It said the quake was felt at Intensity V in Gonzaga town in Cagayan; and Intensity III in Cal-lao town in Cagayan.

 

For its part, the United States Geological Survey said the epicenter was 415 km east of Ilagan, Isabela; 435 km north-northeast of Pandan, Catanduanes; or 610 km northeast of Manila.

 

No aftershock was expected, the Phivolcs said.

 

Early Thursday afternoon, a 5.9-magnitude earthquake shook Metro Manila and other parts of Luzon.

 

— RSJ, GMANews.TV

[nancyk58]

Update of Filipino news in relation to natural disasters on 6 April 2010

 

UPDATE OF NEWS IN RELATION TO NATURAL DISASTERS ON 6 APRIL 2010

 

EL NIÑO LOSSES HIT ALMOST P10 BILLION AT END-MARCH

 

04/06/2010 | 03:49 PM - GMA News.TV

 

(UPDATED) Agricultural losses due to an El Niño-induced drought reached P9.58 billion at the end of March, with 12 regions experiencing dry spell conditions that affect production of rice, corn, fruits, flowers, high-value-commercial crops and livestock.

 

Still, the government downplayed the effects of the dry spell and Mindanao power shortage on Philippine economic growth this year, which it said could shave 0.57 percentage points off this year’s gross domestic product growth target of 2.6-3.6 percent.

 

"Agriculture makes up only 18 percent of [the gross domestic product]," Acting Socioeconomic Planning Secretary Augusto B. Santos told Cabinet members on Tuesday.

 

He added that the share of Mindanao — where brownouts threaten to limit business activity — in economic output is only 18 percent.

 

Citing the latest National Disaster Coordinating Council report, Santos said about 753,606 hectares of land had been affected, with an equivalent total production loss of 685,485 metric tons.

 

Dennis M. Arroyo, National Economic and Development Authority director for national policy and planning, told reporters in Malacañang growth this year could dip to 3 percent from the high end of the target.

 

The government, he said, was confident of hitting the upper end of the goal unless Greece’s debt crisis explodes and causes another global crisis.

 

"That’s the worst case scenario. Otherwise, we would believe 3.6 percent [could be achieved]," Arroyo said.

 

Meanwhile, Arroyo said the construction industry is threatened by rising iron ore prices after the 40-year old pricing arrangement of annual negotiations was replaced by quarterly pricing.

 

"A 100-percent increase in iron ore prices will lead to a 30-percent increase in steel prices. That will affect both public and private construction and therefore, the real estate industry," he pointed out.

 

In his Cabinet presentation, Santos noted that the shorter the pricing period, the more leeway for market speculation and volatility.

 

The move was led by giant iron ore producers Vale of Brazil and Anglo-Australian BHP-Billiton. Eurofer, which represents European steelmakers, has warned of illicit price manipulation by the biggest iron ore producers.

 

Santos said US steel might turn out as the cheaper alternative since US steel inputs are largely isolated from the global market. America is a net exporter of the chief ingredients of steel: iron ore, coking coal and scrap, he pointed out.

 

"They now offer cheaper iron ore and steel. So we may turn to them. That’s one avenue to explore," Arroyo said. He added that they have yet to know the exact impact of higher steel prices on growth. — N.P. Aquino, GMANews.TV

[sp★rkle]

Wow. I could not believe you are still updating this thread Nancy. Thank you so much for everything.

 

I went to Marikina (where most of the water from the Ondoy/Ketsana typhoon went and washed out the place) yesterday for a visit and saw how things are going well in there.

[nancyk58]

Wow. I could not believe you are still updating this thread Nancy. Thank you so much for everything.

 

I went to Marikina (where most of the water from the Ondoy/Ketsana typhoon went and washed out the place) yesterday for a visit and saw how things are going well in there.

 

 

You're welcome, Ioshi.

 

I am glad to hear that things are going well in Marikina. :)