TACLOBAN CITY – No major damage has been reported following the magnitude-six earthquake that struck San Julian, Eastern Samar on Monday afternoon, according to initial reports from local authorities.
Police Lt. Eduardo Sande, chief of police in San Julian town —the quake’s epicenter— said there were no reported damage at the municipal hall, although minor cracks were observed at the police station.
“I was inside the municipal hall when the earthquake struck. Everyone immediately evacuated the building. We were able to apply what we learned during earthquake drills,” Sande told the Philippine News Agency in a phone interview.
Residents living in concrete houses remained outdoors for more than an hour after the tremor, he added.
According to the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs), the tectonic earthquake occurred at 2:09 p.m., with its epicenter located nine kilometers (km) northwest of San Julian at a depth of 10 kms.
The tremor was felt at Intensity 5 in Can-avid, Dulag, Alangalang, and Gandara.
Intensity 4 was recorded in Abuyog, Palo, and Carigara, while Intensity 3 was experienced in Naval, Hernani, Ormoc City, Hilongos, Albuera, Baybay, Villaba, and Isabel.
Phivolcs added that ground shaking was also reported in parts of Southern Leyte, Sorsogon, Cebu, Iloilo, Masbate, and Davao Occidental.
Randy Nicart of the Eastern Samar Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office said authorities are still collecting reports from various municipalities to verify damage.
“There are some reports of minor damage, but these are still subject to validation,” he said in a phone interview.
Phivolcs said the presence of the Philippine fault zone and related lineaments makes at least 29 towns and cities in Eastern Visayas vulnerable to earthquakes. (PNA)