Eight Tremors on March 25 Evacuations Noted, No Damages

Students at the Holy Name University (HNU) here were already receiving their blank test papers as they were spread out in the spacious activity center for the final examinations when the ground shook at about 10:53 AM, March 25, 2018.

It was the third of the earth ground shakes that the government seismic experts tracked to have happened in Bohol, all in a day.

The large covered activity center with oversized electric fans as ventilation sources has about 30-40 students spread out for the examinations and the air was already tense when the ground shook and most students were nailed to their seats, some looked up the huge rotors of the ceiling fan, wondering if a turnbuckle has snapped.

It the fans fell, its giant rotor blades could be a major source of mass casualty, and everyone was sure they would avoid that.

A few seconds later, somebody hit the alert button and as the drills had it, everyone piled out of the center and scampered off to the Barder Gym, where the occupants of this section of school were supposed to evacuate.

In less than five minutes, the patients at the nearby HNU Hospital were all safely herded to the safe evacuation area followed by doctors and nurses still in their laboratory and smock gowns.

HNU Tagbilaran has executed an earthquake evacuation without a hitch, even as reports of elementary kids asking their teachers if the evacuation was the real thing, surfaced.

In the University of Bohol, the school quadrangle resembled an oversized daytime party as students converged at the opne space, in response to the shake and as instructed during earthquake drills.

The response was quick as anticipated from large populated schools like HNU and UB, which have just completed a simulated earthquake drills with mass casualty.

The earthquake that had HNU, University of Bohol and the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) First Consolidated Bank (FCB) momentarily evacuating their offices was the third earthquake that the Department of Science and Technology’s Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (DOST PhiVOLCS) monitored of the series of eight tremors which their instruments recorded all from Bohol.

The 10:54 AM earthquake, which lasted for a couple of seconds measured magnitude 4.5 and generated intensities 3 and 4 across the Visayas, according to Bohol Disaster and Risk Reduction Management Office.

Immediately, social media went abuzz with posts, some showing a recurrence of the trauma from the October 2013 super tremor that shook Bohol.

Phivolcs traced the 10:53 AM earthquake at 9.80° N and 123.96 °E from the depths of .008 kilometers and was located at 007 kilometers North 69° east of Antequera, Bohol.

The tremors in Bohol during the day started at the 2.8 magnitude 7:35 AM shake, one which the seismologists traced from the depths of 032 kilometers at 9.76 °N and 123.97°E and was located at 008 kilometers 573° East of Antequera, Bohol.

The second quake, happened at 10:33 AM which produced a 2.9 magnitude in the Richter scale. The source was 9.78°N, 123.98°E and was at 008 kilometers deep, 003 kilometers N, 26°W of Balilihan.

The third earthquake happened at 10:53, which was the strongest for the day.

The fourth quake that produced a 2.9 magnitude record happened by 11:03 from 9.71°N, 124.01°E, one that was from 028 kilometers deep and was traced to 006 kilometers S43° east of Balilihan.

The fifth, one that had 2.0 magnitude rating was from 29 kilometers deep and was at 009 kilometers south, 63°E of Catigbian, Bohol.

Less than an hour later, at 12:43, a 1.8 magnitude shake was noted again from 9.82°N and 124.06°E from 33 kilometers deep off 008 kilometers S59°E of Catigbian, the sixth shake.

The seventh quake happened at 3:47 PM which produced 1.4 magnitude in the scales, the tremor was at 0.85°N and 123.99°E, 033 kilometers deep and was at 002 kilometers S51°E of Catigbian.

The eight happened 11:08 PM from a depth of 015 kilometers and produced a magnitude 3.5 rating from 18.65°N and 120.81°E, about 007 kilometers E, 07°South of Sagbayan.

In all of the eight tremors for the day, there were evacuations and immediate damage assessments, but no damages were reported. (rahc/PIA-07/Bohol)