Early in the morning, something very scary happened far away in Russia’s Kamchatka Peninsula—a huge earthquake shook the ground, and it was so powerful that it caused big waves in the ocean called a tsunami.
Because of this, PHIVOLCS (the group in the Philippines that watches earthquakes and volcanoes) got worried. At around 7:25 a.m., they quickly warned people living near the beach on the eastern side of the Philippines—like in Batanes, Cagayan, Leyte, Davao, and many more provinces. They said a tsunami might hit and people should stay away from the beach.
They warned that waves could come between 1:20 p.m. and 2:40 p.m., and even if the waves were less than 1 meter high, they could still be dangerous. So people were told to evacuate or stay safe in higher areas, away from the water.
Because of this:
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Some schools in Davao cancelled classes
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Boats were not allowed to go out
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The Philippine Coast Guard was on full alert
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The government told some people to leave their homes early just to be safe
But by 4:40 p.m., PHIVOLCS looked at all their ocean data and saw that no big waves came to the Philippines. Everything was calm. So they said, “It’s safe now. We are canceling the tsunami alert.”
Meanwhile, back in Russia, things were not okay. The earthquake was super strong—magnitude 8.8! It damaged buildings, hurt people, and caused floods. In the town of Severo-Kurilsk, the waves even reached a fish factory, pushing boats off their docks.
Other countries got scared too:
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In Japan, people were told to evacuate
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In Hawaii, people near the coast were told to go to higher floors or hills
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In French Polynesia, everyone near the beach had to leave quickly and secure their boats
It was a tense day full of fear and rushing, but thankfully, in the Philippines, no tsunami came, and everyone was safe. PHIVOLCS made sure to keep people alert and updated until the danger was really over.
