Tsunami warning raised in RP

A tsunami alert was raised in the Philippines yesterday following the powerful undersea earthquake in the Solomon Islands but authorities said no evacuation was ordered because the tsunami was "not life threatening."

Dr. Renato Solidum, director of the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs), said the country’s eastern coastal communities were alerted because of possible changes in the sea level at 5 a.m. and 7 a.m. yesterday.

Phivolcs lifted the warning at noon upon the advice of the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center.

In San Fernando, La Union, the Regional Disaster Coordinating Council also raised a separate tsunami alert for Ilocos Norte residents.

Ilocos police director and RDCC chairman Leopoldo Bataoil directed police and disaster groups to remain vigilant.

An 8.0 magnitude underwater earthquake triggered a tsunami that destroyed villages and killed a number of people in Solomon Islands.

Phivolcs deputy director Bartolome Bautista said the public, especially those living in coastal communities, should be ready to move to higher ground if there are signs of an impending tsunami.

Phivolcs advised people in the Pacific coast to be alert between 10 am and noon for minor sea level changes. – Helen Flores, Jun Elias