OCD-10 regional director Carmelito Lupo said this city and some areas of Misamis Oriental will also be devastated once the fault line under the Tagoloan River, in the municipality of Tagoloan, moves.
Because of this, Lupo urged Misamisnons and Cagayanons, including Camiguinons, to be extra cautious and careful because “tragedy can strike any time.”
He said no one can really tell if the tsunami that hit Sultan Naga Dimaporo in Lanao del Norte in 1976 will happen again.
On the night of August 17, 1976, a tsunami ravaged Illana Bay, with waves reaching as high as 4 to 5 meters (14-15 feet) when they hit land. The tsunami was caused by a 6.7-magnitude undersea earthquake, whose epicenter was in the Celebes Sea between Mindanao mainland and Borneo.
The 1976 earthquake and tsunami, also known as the 1976 Moro earthquake and tsunami, killed at least 8,000 people and wounded 10,000 more. It also rendered 90,000 homeless, making it the most devastating natural disaster that hit Mindanao in the 20th century.
Lupo said nobody expected the 1976 tragedy and nobody could predict any earthquake or tsunami to hit Misamis Oriental or the Philippines, which is why it is very important to be always on the alert.
He said alertness is more pronounced now with what happened in Sendai, Japan, and most especially since the Philippines is within what is called the Pacific Ring of Fire.
City Vice Mayor Caesar Ian Acenas urged City Hall to improve the city’s disaster readiness and map out mitigating plans and measures to cushion the impact of a strong earthquake.
“Natural disasters cannot be prevented but we can prevent the loss of lives,” he said.
Acenas also urged City Hall to go on an awareness campaign so that Cagayanons will be more prepared in case calamity strikes, especially with the discovery of the Tagoloan Fault Line, which the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) is now monitoring.
Rey Macaspac, analyst at the Phivolcs here, said that so far, they have not monitored any movement in the Tagoloan Fault Line despite the strong earthquake that hit Japan.
Still, Macaspac urged Misamisnons and Cagayanons to always be alert for any eventuality.
