Aftershocks felt in Bohol; more injured

MANILA, Philippines – More injuries were reported in the province of Bohol, as aftershocks from the magnitude-7.2 earthquake  struck the area.

In its latest situation report, the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) said 978 were injured as a result of the quake. Its previous report on October 31 said 796 were injured.

Of the 976 injured, 877 are in Bohol, where landslides have been reported in Clarin, Lila, Corella, Balilihan, Alicia, Loboc, Bilar, Cortes, Dimiao, Antequera, Loon, and Danao. The number of injured in Bohol was previously recorded as 692. 

The number of injured in Cebu went down from 101 on October 31 to 96 on November 2, according to the NDRRMC. 

The death toll from the quake remained at 222, while 8 are still reported missing.

As of 6:00 am on November 2, Saturday, 3,189 aftershocks have been recorded since the quake hit on October 15 with 84 of them felt by those living in Bohol, and nearby areas. The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology earlier said at least 3,000 aftershocks would still hit the province, but would end in 2-3 weeks. 

On Friday, a magnitude 5.2 aftershock was recorded by Phivolcs, with the epicenter 34 kilometers northeast of the Bohol capital, Tagbilaran City. According to Phivolcs, the following areas felt the quake: 

• Intensity V: Talibon, Bohol; Mandaue City; Cebu City
• Intensity IV: Tagbilaran City; San Isidro, Bohol
• Intensity III: Dumaguete City
• Intensity I: Hibok-hibok

On October 29, Tuesday, a sink hole with a “very high landslide susceptibility rating” was found by the Mines and Geoscience Bureau in Purok 7 and 8, Barangay Poblacion 1 in Tagbilaran City. Those living in the area were told to evacuate.

The cost of damages caused by the quake is pegged at over P2.25 billion. Over 66,932 houses were damaged partially or completely by the quake. Three bridges and 2 roads remain impassable in the provinces of Bohol and Cebu as a result of the quake.

Power has been restored in most of Bohol, although outages are still reported in some barangays in Antequera, Calape, Catigbian, and Loon.

Rebuilding Loon

In Loon, one of the hardest-hit towns in Bohol, government has introduced programs to help locals get back up on their feet.

The Social Welfare and Development Department introduced the Cash-For-Work program, which lets families earn a living by helping in the rehabilitation of the town. Community work includes clearing roads and canals, setting up community kitchens, and maintaining cleanliness of evacuation centers.

Some 381 family heads of barangays Son-ing, Cabadug, Bas Daku, Cuasi and Tang-nan participated in installing 473 tents from the department. In return, they get P200 per day. –Rappler.com