SAIPAN — A tsunami advisory is in effect for the Commonwealth following a major earthquake off the Philippines on Monday morning, the CNMI Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Management said, urging residents to stay out of the water and away from shorelines.
HSEM issued its first bulletin at 10:20 a.m., citing information from the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center. The agency stressed that the advisory is not a full-scale evacuation. Residents in threatened coastal areas are advised to stay out of the water and away from the shoreline and to continue monitoring updates from HSEM.
A tsunami advisory means people should stay out of the water and off the shore. Potential impacts include sea level fluctuations of generally no more than 3 feet above and below the tide level, minor flooding of beach and harbor areas, and strong and unusual ocean currents in harbors, bays and other near-shore waters.
The advisory follows an earthquake of preliminary magnitude 8.2 that struck off Mindanao in the southern Philippines at 9:38 a.m. ChST, according to HSEM. The U.S. Geological Survey later downgraded the magnitude. Guam Homeland Security said the earliest estimated time that hazardous sea level fluctuations and strong currents could begin in the region is 12:45 p.m. ChST.
HSEM said it would issue the next bulletin within an hour, or sooner if the situation warrants, with updates available through local radio, media and local authorities. Residents may also call the CNMI EOC State Warning Point at (670) 237-8000. For the Northern Islands, contact the State Warning Point by high-frequency single sideband radio on frequency 5.205.0.
This is a developing story and will be updated.
