TSUNAMI ALERT!

ILAGAN, Isabela

Raymund Catindig

Residents of the isolated coastal towns in this province has came back from the mountains to resume their normal lives after an overnight of chaos wrought by the scare of an impending Tsunami. Dinapigue Mayor Renato Candido said they considered to return to the plains of the poblacion near the coastline at around 9:00 in the evening, an hour passed the expected tidal havoc. Office of the Civil Defense Regional Director Norma Talosig lifted the Tsunami alert no. 2 at 11:00 shortly before midnight. Candido said they are used to conduct mass evacuation in his town since the lashing of Typhoon Kabayan in 2007. Dinapigue which is adjacent to Baler in the province of Aurora is known typhoon path where brewing weather disturbances in the Pacific ocean develops and enters Luzon area. He said they have not noticed the lashing of the effects of the Tsunami in their coastline which is located in the southernmost part of the Isabela eastern seaboard. At the northern Part; Local Government Radio Operator Eugene Pasana told a radio interview that the Tsunami lashing was felt in the shores of Palanan but it was not huge enough to cause a disastrous effect. Hundreds of families were received by the Fr. Eugene Pete Dionisio and were sheltered at the Palanan National Fisheries High School Compound that is some 7.km from the sea shore.

At the Capital town, Bishop Joseph Nacua has alerted parish priest in assigned in the coastal towns to exhaust all available communications to include the ringing of the church bells for 30 minutes. Palanan Parish Priest Sam Salazar waged a text campaign to warn Palanons and residents of the nearby towns to evacuate the shores immediately.

Scores of panic buyers were alarmed since the Church Bells also rang in the capital town but laughed at themselves later realizing that Ilagan is far from the tidal wave threat.
(Photo Credits: Tsunami sign/ Associated Press)