Assessment of the tsunami alert: Eastern Samar and Leyte Islands, August 31, 2012
This document outlines the results of a survey conducted by OCD and GIZ to evaluate to what extent people moved to a safe place in due time following the strong earthquake that occurred in the Philippine Trench east of the southern tip of the Province of Eastern Samar on 31 August 2012. The results are compared with a similar survey carried out by DED (now GIZ) workers which was done after a tsunami alert was raised in the end of February 2010.
Initially it was assumed that this earthquake could have generated a tsunami wave and the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (PHIVOLCS) issued an alert shortly after the quake. However, no significant wave appeared and no damages were observed, but the event provided an opportunity for Local Government Units (LGUs) and agencies involved in disaster risk managment (DRM) to assess the effectiveness of warnings and evacuation along the coastal areas of Region VIII. Compared to the last survey, more people, especially at the barangay level, got the alert information through the designated communication chain.
The document concludes with OCD and GIZ recommendations, particularly in support of ongoing communication and early warning efforts at local level, and provides examples of alerts and surveys in annex.