The Office of the Philippines Civil Defense (OCD) Region 9 installed on Wednesday (August 19) an initial 12 tsunami awareness signs in six urban coastal barangays in Pagadian City.
OCD Regional Director Emilia V. Julhajan, together with members of the City Disaster Risk Reduction Management Office (CDRRMO) headed by Haron Damada, supervised the installation.
Damada said the six coastal barangays were among the hardest hit areas by a strong earthquake followed tsunami on August 17, 1976. The calamity killed 1,440 people and injured 7,701, and 909 were reported missing.
The hardest hit barangays were the following: Dumagoc, Kawit, Santa Lucia, Santiago, San Pedro, and White Beach.
Julhajan said the possibility of a tsunami hitting thet area again is very high. Scaring people was not their intention, but rather it was to make them aware of what to do should the need arise.
Julhajan added that their next step is to have signs identifying routes to safe areas in case of a tsunami.
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