Phivolcs: No tsunami threat in PH after Indonesia quake
MANILA, Philippines – The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) on Saturday, November 15, said there is no tsunami threat in the country after a 7.1-magnitude earthquake rocked the Maluku Islands in eastern Indonesia.
A shake map released by the US Geological Survey (USGS) on November 15 2014 shows the location and intensity of a 7.3 magnitude earthquake 154km North-West of Kota Ternate, in the Northern Molucca Sea, Indonesia.
"Based on forecast wave heights and absence of unusual waves from sea-level data recorded by the Davao tide gauge station, there is no Pacific-wide destructive tsunami that is generated by this event," Phivolcs said in its second tsunami bulletin issued at around 11:50 am Saturday.
In a radio interview Saturday, Phivolcs Director Renato Solidum urged Filipinos not to panic as the earthquake will not affect the country.
"Hindi inaasahan ang pagtaas ng tubig. Dapat maging listo lang (We do not expect any rise in water levels. We just need to be vigilant)," he added.
The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center earlier warned that tsunami waves could hit parts of Indonesia, as well the Philippines, Japan, Taiwan and islands in the South Pacific.
The undersea quake struck at a depth of 46 kilometers (28 miles) at 10:31 am (0231 GMT), northwest of Kota Ternate, the US Geological Survey said.
There were no immediate reports of any damage caused by the quake itself or any casualties.
In December 2004, a magnitude 9.0 earthquake triggered one of the world's most devastating tsunamis that swept across Aceh in Indonesia, killing hundreds of thousands of people.
Meanwhile, in May and September this year, 6.2-magnitude quakes struck off the Indonesian islands of Sumatra and Sulawesi, respectively. Both incidents had sent panicked people fleeing homes out of fear of a tsunami, but there were no tsunami warnings issued at both times. – with a report from Karlos Manlupig/Rappler.com
