The Philippines is vulnerable to tsunamis.

This was according to the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) who reiterated that the country is at risk of tsunamis due to the presence of offshore faults and trenches surrounding the country.

Ahead of the celebration of World Tsunami Awareness Day on Saturday, Nov. 5, Phivolcs launched a seminar for Filipinos to better understand the science of tsunamis.

Triggers

Should the Philippines be tsunami-ready? To answer this question, Phivolcs Supervising Science Research Specialist Ishmael Narag painted a clear picture of the country’s setting.

“The Philippines is an archipelago. Meaning, we are a group of islands surrounded by bodies of water. Try to understand the seismotectonic setting of the country, , so we have the right recipe for a tsunami,” said Narag.

Tsunami or a series of waves in the body of water caused by the displacement of a large volume of water, is triggered by various occurrences.

“Nearly 80 percent of tsunami events are generated by quakes, warning system ,” he added.

Other factors include landslides, volcanic eruptions, as well as other occurrences like a meteorite impact.

Signs of an impending tsunami

Tsunamis, although extremely dangerous, do not come without warning. To better prepare oneself against the dangers that this phenomenon may bring, Phivolcs laid out the natural signs of an impending tsunami.

Included on Phivolcs’ three-point signs were “shake,” “drop,” and “roar.”

The first indicator will be the visible shaking, which may be caused by an earthquake, landslide, or other wide-scale event. It will be followed by an unusual and sudden rise or fall of sea water which will lead to the exposure of rocks, corals, and marine life.

Lastly, an unusual sound will be heard.

“Ang speed ng tsunami ay napaka bilis. Hindi po natin ito ma-a-outrun (The speed of a tsunami is very fast. We cannot outrun it),” he furthered, adding that even without a formal evacuation command, Filipinos in coastal communities may already evacuate as soon as they start to observe any of the three signs.

Towards a tsunami-ready PH

In order to protect Filipinos, especially those residing in coastal areas, Phivolcs urged the local government units across the country to craft and strengthen their tsunami warning systems and evacuation plans.

“An effective end-to-end tsunami early warning system could save thousands of lives... It can only be successful if it spans the continuum of activities associated with an end-to-end approach,” said Narag.

Meanwhile, tsunami mitigation measures presented by Phivolcs during the same infopress were divided into two: non-structural and structural. Non-structural methods include information campaigns, hazard maps, evacuation plans, tsunami markers, preservation of mangrove areas, and mangrove warnings.

Structural mitigations, on the other hand, were the construction of sea walls, breakers, and tsunami platforms; as well as the construction of alternate access roads.

These, according to state seismologists, may be adapted by communities across the Philippines to help make Filipinos be tsunami-ready.