Philippine Quake Disaster Update

At least 108 people feared dead, 300 others injured, 2.9 million affected

Some 99 fatalities have been confirmed in the magnitude 7.1 earthquake that struck Bohol Island in central Philippines.

Ninety people were killed in Bohol, eight in Cebu and one in Siquijor, said the Philippine National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRM) on Wednesday.

• Some 276 others were injured said NDRRM, including 166 in Bohol, 106 in Cebu.

• Up to a dozen people remain unaccounted for, according to local reports.

According to unconfirmed reports, at least 108 people were killed and 300 others injured in the quake.

A total of about 558,390 families, which translates to more than 2.84 persons have been affected in three island provinces—Bohol, Cebu and Siquijor.

Philippine authorities declared declared states of calamity in Bohol and Cebu provinces after the  powerful quake struck on Tuesday.

The M7.1 quake,  centered at 9.866°N, 124.011°E, struck at a depth of about 20km about 2km NE of Catigbian, on the island province of Bohol, Philippines at 00:12:32 UTC on Tuesday, October 15, 2013.

The deadly quake occurred about 619km (385mi) SSE of Manila, the Philippine capital, according to USGS/EHP.

Meantime, USGS/EHP has upgraded its Pager status to “Orange,” raising its estimate for the quake fatalities and estimated economic losses.

The ShakeMap has also been upgraded to Level IX, or “violent.”

Related Links

• State of Calamity Declared in Bohol & Cebu Provinces, Philippines October 15, 2013

• M7.2 Quake Strikes Balilihan, Philippines October 15, 2013

State of Calamity Declared in Bohol & Cebu Provinces, Philippines

Powerful M7.1 Quake Causes Much Destruction in Central Philippines+

Philippine authorities have declared declared states of calamity in Bohol and Cebu Provinces after a powerful quake killed at least 80 people and left about 180 others injured, destroying or damaging scores of homes, buildings, historical churches, and causing widespread damage to public infrastructure across the famed tourist islands.

The M7.1 [revised by USGS/EHP] quake struck the island province of Bohol, about 2km NE of Catigbian, Philippines at a depth of about 20km [revised by USGS/EHP] at 00:12:32 UTC on Tuesday, October 15, 2013.

Centered at 9.866°N, 124.011°E,  the deadly quake struck about 619km (385mi) SSE of Manila, according to USGS/EHP.

The mainshock was followed by large swarms of at least 400 aftershocks including 10 tremors measuring 5.0Mw or greater, as of posting.

The quake has affected tens of thousands of people, most of whom were left without electricity, tap water, communication or transportation links.

Half dozen bridges have collapsed, and many road have buckled due to the quake energy.

Related Links

• M7.2 Quake Strikes Balilihan, Philippines October 15, 2013

M7.2 Quake Strikes Balilihan, Philippines

UPDATE at 09:45UTC – October 15, 2013

• The quake death toll has reached a least 36, with about 100 others injured, or reported as missing both in Bohol and Cebu islands.

UPDATE at 06:00UTC – October 15, 2013

• Death toll from the quake has climbed to at least 24, with about 20 others injured, according to local sources.

• USGS has raised its estimate for shaking-related fatalities and economic losses to “Yellow alert.”

• At least 11 significant aftershocks have occurred, including 9 events on Bohol Island, as of posting.

UPDATE at 02:00UTC – October 15, 2013

PAGER: Green – Estimated Fatalities: Low, with some economic damage
ShakeMap: VIII – severe shaking causing heavy to moderate damage

• At least 8 people have been killed, according to local reports.

USGS EQ Hazard Program has revised its initial details of the quake as follows

• Magnitude:  7.1Mw
• Time: 2013-10-15 09:12:32 UTC+09:00
• Location: 9.866°N 124.011°E (2km NE of Catigbian, Philippines)
• Depth: 20.0km

At least 5 significant aftershocks have struck the region , as of UPDATE at 02:00UTC – October 15, 2013

UPDATED Earthquake Location Map. Source: USGS/EHP. Enhanced by FIRE-EARTH Blog.

Powerful Quake Strikes 5km E of Balilihan, Bohol Island, Philippines

The quake struck onshore at a depth of about 56.8km. The mainshock was followed by at least 2 significant aftershocks measuring 5.4 and 5.3Mw respectively, as of posting.

• The island province of Bohol is located in the Central Visayas region. Bohol is the tenth largest island of the Philippines with a population of about 1.5 million.

• Full extent of the damage, or injuries was unknown, as of posting, but there were reports of significant damage to roads and electricity lines throughout the region.

• NO tsunami warning or advisories issued.

Tsunami Evaluation
[Pacific Tsunami Warning Center/NOAA/NWS – Issued At 00:22UTC 15 Oct 2013]

No destructive widespread tsunami threat exists based on historical earthquake and tsunami data.

However, earthquakes of this size sometimes generate local tsunamis that can be destructive along coasts located within a hundred kilometers of the earthquake epicenter. Authorities in the region of the epicenter should be aware of this possibility and take appropriate action.

Earthquake Location Map

Earthquake Location Map. Source: USGS/EHP. Enhanced by FIRE-EARTH Blog.

Quake damage in Bohol. Image credit Charlotte Knowles

Santo Niño de Cebú RC Church damaged by the quake. Image credit: Franz Estores

More details to follow…

Disaster Calendar – August 19, 2013

Hundreds dead or missing as floods and mudslides devastate China

Extreme rain events, flooding and mudslides in northeast and southern China have left hundreds of people dead, injured or missing.

“The Heilongjiang Provincial Hydrological Bureau forecast the stretch of the Heilong River between Tongjiang and Fuyuan County will witness the largest flooding in its history. Authorities in Tongjiang have started a Grade I response preparing for floods,” said a report.

• The deluge has destroyed or damaged at least 210,000 houses in Jilin, Heilongjiang, Guangdong and Liaoning provinces, with the direct economic losses estimated at 18.5 billion yuan (3 billion U.S. dollars), said a report.
• Torrential rains and floods triggered by Typhoon Utor have affected 680,000 people in eight cities in Guangxi. Some 16,660 hectares of crops have been damaged and 1,080 houses have been destroyed.
• In Guangdong Province, TY UTOR has affected more than 2.5 million people destroying or damaging about 19,000 houses and forcing 513,000 people to relocate. The extreme rain has also ruined 173,333 hectares of farmland, according to local authorities.
• “In central China’s Hunan Province, landslides triggered by continuous rainfalls over the past two days have left one dead and 14 others buried or missing,” said a report.

[NOTE: Some of the stats quoted above are already outdated as the  catastrophe continues to unfold in China on an almost hourly basis.]

Original caption: People walk on ruins after the flood in Nankouqian Township, Fushun, northeast China’s Liaoning Province, Aug. 18, 2013. The death toll has risen to 54 as of Monday morning after the worst flooding in decades ravaged Fushun City, northeast China’s Liaoning Province, said the local authorities on Aug. 19, 2013. Extreme rainstorms battered Liaoning from Thursday to Saturday, leaving many rivers flooded in Fushun. (Xinhua/Pan Yulong)

• In Fushun City, 139,800 houses were damaged and many have collapsed.

• In Guangdong province, 19,000 houses have collapsed or sustained severe damage, forcing  about 513,000 residents to relocate.  The direct economic loss is estimated at 490 million yuan (80 million U.S. dollars).
• “Heilongjiang Province reported [37]  flood-related deaths. The floods have destroyed over 2,500 houses and severely damaged at least 12,500 others, with direct economic losses estimated at 7.13 billion yuan (1.15 billion U.S. dollars).”
• In Jilin Province, at least “35,000 houses were destroyed or damaged with direct economic losses at 2.4 billion yuan (387 million U.S. dollars).”
• “As of 10 a.m. Monday, a total of 1.8 million people in 30 counties in Liaoning Province have been affected and 162,000 have been evacuated from flooded areas. More than 6,100 buildings have collapsed and the total direct economic loss is around 8.5 billion yuan(1.39 billion U.S. dollars), according to the ministry.”

Don’t bring your car to China!

Heping Town in Shantou City, south China’s Guangdong Province devastated by extreme rain events and severe flooding, August19, 2013.  (Xinhua/Yao Jun). More images…

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Philippines’ Cebu declares calamity as sunken ferry leaks oil

The central Philippine province of Cebu has declared a state of calamity as an oil slick from a ferry that sank last week spread to about 20 percent of the coast, said a report.

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16 Counties across three states declared agricultural disaster areas

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has designated 16 counties in three states as agricultural disaster areas due to damages and losses caused by frost and freezing temperatures that occurred March 25-29, 2013.

The disaster designations are

• Alabama: Baldwin, Escambia, Mobile, Washington, Choctaw, Clarke, Conecuh, Covington and Monroe counties.

• Florida: Escambia, Okaloosa and Santa Rosa counties.

• Mississippi: George, Greene, Jackson and Wayne counties.

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Beaver Creek Fire Consumes 100,000 acres

As of August 18, 2013 10pm,  the Beaver Creek Fire had grown to at about 100,921 acres with 8% containment.

Beaver Creek Fire. Red Flag conditions, including higher temperatures and wind gusts to 38 miles per hour, increased fire activity on the Beaver Creek Fire. Credit: Sawtooth National Forest/ USFS.

For additional information see

• “Take Your Essentials Belongings and Pets and GO NOW” August 18, 2013