CEBU / GIRL KILLED INSIDE CHURCH
[PHOTO - People
gather on foot bridges in downtown Cebu City in an attempt to seek higher ground
during a tsunami alert that followed an earthquake before noon yesterday. FERDINAND EDRALIN]
CEBU CITY, FEBRUARY 7, 2012
(PHILSTAR) By Aj De La Torre and Jessica Ann Pareja – Panic
gripped this city at past noon yesterday.
People and vehicles crowded the streets, racing to reach higher ground as
rumors of an incoming tsunami spread.
Cars were abandoned in the middle of roads; stores were left open and people
headed to the mountains. Some found their way to the tops of high-rise
buildings.
A 78-year-old named Anelita appeared to be short of breath as she sat near
The Freeman offices, pleading that she be allowed to go up to the highest floor
of the building, fearing that the tsunami was near.
Anelita said that she was selling fish in Pasil market when she heard people
shouting that the water was rising.
She said that she saw the water rising, but not that much, but she still ran
because people were already running away.
A young student had wounds on her feet because she ran barefoot since she
said she could not run fast with her high-heeled shoes.
The tsunami report, which proved to be a false alarm, left many people
flustered and worried.
Fake SMS messages also added to the panic, warning people that a tsunami was
expected hours after the 6.9-magnitude earthquake hit Cebu and other parts of
the Visayas yesterday morning.
[PHOTO - Photo shows a quake-damaged portion of a road in Guihulngan,
Negros Oriental. ADGIELIN TANILON]
Across the Tañon Strait in Dumaguete City, Negros Oriental, similar scenes of
panic and exodus were reported in the local paper Metro Post, with people
running away from the sea, traffic jams downtown and long lines at gas stations.
The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) raised
level 2 tsunami alert but explained that there was no reason for people to panic
and evacuate as only minor sea level changes were to be expected.
Phivolcs, however, reminded those living near coastal areas to be extra
cautious.
Phivolcs lifted the level 2 tsunami alert two hours after raising it.
Students were immediately sent home after the earthquake, while government
and private offices sent their employees home after lunch.
In the Colon area, where a lot of businesses and buildings are located,
people went out of their offices after the earthquake as they braced for
aftershocks.
A lot of people also headed to the nearby Basilica del Sto. Niño to pray for
safety and protection.
Some were crying while talking to people next to them about how frightening
the experience was.
Thousands of residents in Barangay Guadalupe, Cebu City also evacuated to
higher ground upon hearing flase reports of a rise in sea water level.
Guadalupe barangay captain Michael Gacasan said it was hard to control the
people who were panicking and running for their lives.
"Even most of our employees left the barangay hall and went upland. People
were not even able to bring anything but themselves," Gacasan explained.
Minutes after local officials confirmed the lifting of the tsunami alert,
they started informing the people of the real situation.
Gacasan said they will not be surprised to receive reports of missing
children since panic seemed to have overcome almost everyone.
Guadalupe is Cebu City's biggest barangay in terms of population.
[PHOTO - JOLTED CITY The marketplace in Guihulngan, a
city of about 180,000 people in Negros Oriental, is shown abandoned and in total
disarray in the aftermath of a 6.9-magnitude earthquake that hit Western Visayas
Monday, Feb. 6, 2012. The mayor confirmed at least 10 were killed and 40 missing
in collapsed houses in the city. (Photo by IAN VEIN VERGARA
AGUIRRE of HULAGWAY UG KASIKAS SA DUMAGUETE [HUKAD])]
Some residents in Mambaling, Punta Princesa and other South District
barangays also evacuated to higher ground out of fear of a possible tsunami.
Public transportation was also crippled for hours because public utility
jeepney drivers chose to cut their route and went home.
Some drivers even left their vehicles in the middle of the road and joined
the mass of people struggling to move away from the seaside.
In Cebu City Hall, the Local Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council
received reports of cracks in various buildings in the downtown area, uptown and
mountain barangays.
The University of San Jose Recoletos main campus in the Carbon area reported
large cracks visible in the upper floors of the school building after the quake.
Cracks were also reported in Apas Elementary School, Toong Elementary School
and barangay hall, and Buhisan barangay hall.
The city hall was immediately vacated after the quake and employees were
advised to come back after the Office of the Building Official (OBO) declares
the building safe.
While OBO inspection was ongoing, the city government suspended work so
employees could go home to their families.
Initial inspection conducted by the Building Maintenance Section found no
damage in the executive and legislative buildings.
Mayor Michael Rama also ordered the Department of Engineering and Public
Works and the Local School Board to inspect all school buildings, especially
those in the mountain barangays that were earlier reported to be unsafe.
Rama warned that the earthquake could happen again, even in a stronger
magnitude, so they should not take a chance.
FROM ABS-CBN
Quake killed girl inside church ABS-CBNnews.com
Posted at 02/07/2012 2:07 AM | Updated as of 02/07/2012 2:07 AM
MANILA, Philippines - A 15-year-old girl was killed when the walls of a
church in Jimalalud town, Negros Oriental, collapsed during the magnitude 6.9
earthquake in the province Monday, a local official said.
The victim, who was not yet immediately identified, said a funeral service
was being held inside the church when the quake struck, according to Jimalalud
Mayor Reynaldo Tuanda.
He told ANC's The World Tonight that 12 other people were injured in
Jimalalud.
"The walls of the church collapsed, hitting a lot of people," Tuanda said.
"We tried to bring the girl to the nearest hospital but she died along the
way," he added.
Tuanda said he himself cheated death when the quake struck while local
officials were having their meeting in the town hall.
He said he was able to escape from town's executive building.
He said Jimalalud is one of the areas hardest-hit by the quake.
Various infrastructures were damaged. These include a bridge, which broke
when the quake hit.
He said other nearby towns in Negros Oriental also suffered extensive damage.
At least 43 people died in the province following the earthquake, an Army
official said.
Twenty-nine people died in a landslide in Moog, Barangay Planas in Guihulngan
City, and 10 other died in other parts of the city, according to Col. Francisco
Patrimonio, commander of the Army's 302nd Infantry Brigade.
Two people died in Tayasan town while one was killed in Bindoy, Patrimonio
said.
Chief News Editor: Sol
Jose Vanzi
© Copyright, 2012 by PHILIPPINE HEADLINE
NEWS ONLINE
All rights reserved
PHILIPPINE HEADLINE NEWS
ONLINE [PHNO] WEBSITE
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
------------------------------------
-------------------------------------------------------------
Follow us on Twitter: http://twitter.com/phnotweet
This is the PHILIPPINE HEADLINE NEWS ONLINE (PHNO) Mailing List.
To stop receiving our news items, please send a blank e-mail addressed to: phno-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com
Please visit our homepage at: http://www.newsflash.org/
(c) Copyright 2009. All rights reserved.
-------------------------------------------------------------Yahoo! Groups Links
<*> To visit your group on the web, go to:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/phno/
<*> Your email settings:
Individual Email | Traditional
<*> To change settings online go to:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/phno/join
(Yahoo! ID required)
<*> To change settings via email:
phno-digest@yahoogroups.com
phno-fullfeatured@yahoogroups.com
<*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to:
phno-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com
<*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to:
http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
