DAMAGE CHECK. A map showing the epicenter of the magnitude 6.6 earthquake in Masbate. The Office of Civil Defense was still waiting for reports on damage from provinces in Eastern Visayas after the tremor also shook several areas in the region on Tuesday (Aug. 18, 2020). (Phivolcs image)
TACLOBAN CITY – The Office of Civil Defense (OCD) is still waiting for reports on damage from provinces in Eastern Visayas after the magnitude 6.6 earthquake centered in Masbate shook several areas in the region on Tuesday.
Sher Rysieh Saices, operations officer of OCD 8 (Eastern Visayas), said in a phone interview that the tremor was felt in the provinces of Northern Samar, Samar, Eastern, Leyte, and Biliran.
“We still have to receive full reports on quake damage from local governments since the inspection of buildings is ongoing. Based on initial damage assessment, a food chain in Calbayog reported a shattering of glass after the earthquake,” Saices said.
She said while some local governments have been sending updates via social media, they expect their full reports in the next few hours, especially from areas closer to the epicenter.
Instruments recorded the ground shaking at Intensity IV in Mapanas in Northern Samar and Palo in Leyte, according to the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs).
The epicenter of the magnitude 6.6 tectonic quake was located at Cataingan town in Masbate and shook several areas in the Visayas.
Magnitude measures the energy released from the source of the quake, while intensity measures the strength of shaking produced by the tremor at a certain location. (PNA)
