Weather, quake alert mark ‘full’ back-to-school week
Yesterday’s official start of the new school year for students in all levels both private and public was met here with intermittent heavy rains. In Mindanao, it was worse with heavy rains and aftershocks of a powerful earthquake that hit Sunday.
The 5th to occur in the Philippines this month alone, Sunday’s quake registered 6.1 in the United States Geological Survey (USGS) and 6.3 with the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Philvocs).
Said powerful earthquake struck off the coast of Mindanao in the southern Philippines, some 160 kilometers southeast of General Santos City. News wires reported that tremors were also felt in Davao City.
To note, the Philippines sits on what is called “Pacific Ring of Fire”where continental plates meet thus the frequent seismic and volcanic activity here.
Philvocs though in a general advisory continued to warn the public against misinformation on a feared “big one” to hit on a specific time.
“The Philippines can be affected by a major earthquake but as to when exactly this would happen cannot be predicted and what is important is we continue to practice earthquake preparedness and risk reduction measures,” the Philvocs stressed.
Meantime, latest 24-hour public weather forecast obtained by The News Today (TNT) disclosed an Active Low Pressure Area (ALPA) 240 kms East of Bicol Region along the Intertropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ). Said active low pressure as earlier estimated did affect Central and Southern Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao.
As such, Central and Southern Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao experienced mostly cloudy skies with scattered rainshowers and thunderstorms.
If it is any consolation though, with the rains and strong winds felt, Iloilo and nearby provinces were not under any flood-watch nor was there any flood advisory issued. Further still, no tropical cyclone existed within the Philippine Area of Responsibility (PAR) as of presstime.