All coastal residents in Dinagat Islands trained on preemptive measures against tsunami, governor says
By Renelle L. Escuadro
Photo Courtesy: MDRRMOs (grabbed from Dinagat Islands’ Provincial DRRM Council Facebook page)
BUTUAN CITY (PIA) — Dinagat Islands Governor Nilo P. Demerey Jr., who serves as concurrent chairperson of the Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (PDRRMC), highlighted during his radio interview today, Oct. 11, that all coastal residents in the province are fully trained to proactively do the preemptive evacuation during earthquakes, even prior to the release of a tsunami alert or warning.
“We have 100 barangays in the province and 83 are coastal areas. All residents in these areas are taught to evacuate early during earthquakes especially if the tremor reaches 6.5,” the governor said. “Titingin na sila sa dagat at magevacuate na agad dahil a matter of 3-5 minutes lang tsunami na yan. [They will look at the ocean and prepare to evacuate because it takes 3-5 minutes only for a tsunami to occur.]”
The governor emphasized the importance of shared responsibility coming from the communities to effectively save lives and prevent casualties during any disaster. “Before the release of the Tsunami warning yesterday, people in the coastal areas were already on their toes to evacuate early. Alam na ng mga Dinagatnons kung ano ang gagawin [Dinagatnons are fully aware about the proper steps to take] because we fully trained them to be proactive and responsible as time is of the essence,” he added, highlighting this as a best practice in community participation and engagement before, during and after a disaster.
After the magnitude 7.4 earthquake that struck Manay, Davao Oriental and nearby areas in Mindanao in the morning of Oct. 10, the Dinagat Islands PDRRMO released a timely tsunami warning alert on the same day based on the data from the Rapid Earthquake Damage Assessment System (REDAS), and supported by tsunami warning no. 1 from the Department of Science and Technology -Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (DOST-PHILVOCS).
The REDAS provided the essential data of tsunami waters at 1.7 meters and distance of 363 kilometers from the epicenter toward the coasts of the province with travel time of 20 minutes. With this, a tsunami alert from Dinagat Islands PDDRMO was released, reminding the residents of the province to stay away from coastal areas for possible tsunami and rise of ocean water from 9:43 a.m.- 11:43 a.m. on Oct. 10. DOST-PHIVOLCS thereafter cancelled the tsunami warning at 1:43 p.m.
The governor also issued Executive Order No. 10-01, series of 2025 for the implementation of preemptive measures for coastal areas in the province, including the suspension of sea travel, evacuation of residents in low-lying areas, and for local DRRMOs and frontline risk agencies to ensure the safety and cooperation of the public. This was lifted on the same day with the issuance of EO No. 10-02, series of 2025 and advised evacuees to return safely to their respective homes and the resumption of sea travels.
The Province of Dinagat Islands is considered highly vulnerable to various natural hazards, including typhoons, earthquakes, and floods. It is highly exposed to typhoon winds and the coastal areas are within storm surge and tsunami hazards zones. With most barangays being coastal, including islands, the province also has given importance to resilient infrastructure for coastal defenses such as construction of sea walls and tetrapods, and ecosystem- based strategies like mangrove and seagrass preservation to adapt to the adverse impacts of climate change. (RLE, PIA Dinagat Islands)
