OCD urges immediate evacuation amid tsunami alert after 7.5 quake off Davao

The Office of Civil Defense (OCD) on Friday urged residents to evacuate immediately due to a looming tsunami threat following the magnitude 7.5 earthquake that struck offshore of Manay, Davao Oriental, earlier this morning.

Bernardo Rafaelito R. Alejandro IV, officer-in-charge of the OCD, said the affected areas include Eastern Samar, Southern Leyte, Leyte, Dinagat Islands, Surigao del Norte, Surigao del Sur, and Davao Oriental, citing the tsunami warning issued by the state seismologist.

“A tsunami warning has been issued, urging people in the coastal communities of the following provinces to move to higher ground or farther inland,” Mr. Alejandro said in a livestream.

He also said that owners of boats in harbors, estuaries, or shallow waters in the said provinces are advised to secure their vessels away from the waterfront.

The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (PHIVOLCS) issued a tsunami warning at red-orange level, indicating that wave heights of at least one meter are expected in the affected areas. At this level, minor sea level disturbances are anticipated. – Edg Adrian A. Eva