THE number of damaged houses in Bogo City and other areas in Cebu has risen to 62,531 as aftershocks of the magnitude 6.9 Offshore Northern Cebu Earthquake on September 30 continue to rock the province.
The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) said as of 12 noon on Wednesday, a total of 9,204 aftershocks, of which 1,682 were plotted and 38 felt were recorded.
The magnitude of these aftershocks ranges between 1.0 to 5.1 on the Richter scale.
The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) said in its 6:00 a.m. Situation Report issued on October 8, said of the 62,531 affected houses, 4,854 are totally destroyed while 57,677 are partially damaged.
The number of affected families has reached 179,252 or 669,794 people in 245 barangays in 16 cities and towns of Cebu.
The strong earthquake that was traced to the newly-discovered Bogo Bay Fault generated Intensity 7, the highest intensity level. It has so far displaced 6,925 persons, most of whom are now sheltered in six different evacuation centers.
The strong earthquake, a first in Northern Cebu’s history, killed 72 people and injured 559 others. It also triggered two landslides and caused a structural fire. A total of 733 infrastructure facilities were also damaged, including eight road sections and 20 bridge sections, compelling 53 cities and towns to be declared under a state of calamity.
The NDRRMC said P145 million worth of assistance has been provided to affected communities.
Clear homes atop Cebu fault
LOCAL governments in Cebu may need to rework land use plans and relocate residents after experts identified a fault line that triggered last week’s magnitude 6.9 earthquake.
Phivolcs Director Teresito Bacolcol said the quick response team of Philvolcs has identified the on-land extension of the fault that caused the September 30 earthquake.
Field inspections revealed fresh ground rupture features, including cracks, pressure mounds and fault scarps, in several areas of Bogo City.
‘If houses are located right on top of the fault, our recommendation is that there should be no structures built over an active fault,’ Bacolcol said in Filipino in a media forum. ‘We recommend a five-meter buffer zone on both sides of the fault.’
In addition, local authorities should incorporate the newly mapped fault into their Comprehensive Land Use Plans (CLUPs) and disaster preparedness strategies, he said.
‘The LGU should use the results of the field mapping in their land use planning and preparedness plans so they can integrate the location of the fault,’ he said.
The fault, referred to as the Bogo Bay Fault, was detected through field surveys conducted by Phivolcs on October 3.
The mapped segment runs through Sitio Looc in Barangay Nailon, extending across Barangay Libertad and Barangay Dakit in Bogo City, according to the Phivolcs chief.
Drone surveys and field validation showed that the visible portion of the fault spans about six kilometers on land, though the full length is projected to reach 40 to 50 kilometers, much of which lies offshore.
‘This means a larger part of the fault is under the sea, and what our team is seeing is only its extension. Field verification is still ongoing, and offshore studies will follow to complete the mapping,’ Bacolcol explained.