I was in that earthquake. Was finally able to check in to a hotel now. It was very scary. The room was shaking for at least 5 minutes and the walls were cracking. We all ran outside, down the stairs, and waited across the street until the engineers told us to walk far away. Then the siding started falling from the building (29 floors).
I felt it as well in Cebu, so I can only imagine what it was like when much closer to it. And there was a 8.0+ one in the northeast last month as well, right?
In BC, Canada, the recommendation is to take cover under a desk e.g.
My personal take is that if I have a chance to make it quickly out of a building I prefer to be out of it rather than having it collapse on me. It's one of those things where the recommendation probably is the right thing for the general population and all expected earthquakes but I'm optimizing for something else. You have 10-20 seconds realistically. But yes things falling off the walls and off buildings and anything that can fall on you is a risk. In my office or home e.g. I'm typically on the ground floor within seconds of an exit so my mental preparation is to avoid the building falling on me. Maybe it's the wrong calculus but hey...
In the Loma Prieta earthquake most of my coworkers fled the newly constructed office building. Dodged falling ceramic roofing tiles. And then ran across the parking lot to take safety under the power lines.
Training and advice is about the expected disaster, not necessarily the one you are in.
In 9/11, lots of people escaped the south tower using elevators, which is the opposite of what you're told to do. There are people who died because they chose to follow the stair route. But others died because they were trapped in elevators.
It's a poor country with a lot of ramshackle housing and "informal settlements" (slums). Seismic codes exist, implementation and enforcement are an entirely different matter.
Unacceptable given it could be life and death. Understandable that clients' coverage struggles courtesy of Philippines' patchy cellular networks, but far less forgivable that a server for a critical emergency website has problems.
Felt it ~600KM away in a high floor, building was swaying. Others didn't feel it and at first I thought I was just [unusually] light-headed or something, but then we realized a door was swinging back and forth slightly, and a hanging plant was swaying.
I visited the Philippines in December and January and it was great. The highlight of my trip was learning to scuba dive in Mindoro. Highly recommend a visit.
A tsunami wave isn't necessarily high, it is not at all like a regular wave which arrives on shore, breaks and immediately dissipates. A tsunami wave could be just a handful of inches high but it keeps coming on and on and on, pushing more and more water in as the incoming rush of water seems to never stop.
It is why I don't think tidal wave is a bad term for the phenomena, A wave that comes in like the tide. at least as good as tsunami, literally harbor wave, Which I guess is a wave you get in a harbor(a place with no waves usually)
> The US National Tsunami Warning Center, which downgraded the quake from an earlier estimate of magnitude 8.2, said the quake posed no threat to coastal areas of the US.
Lots of sources are initially approximate or conflicting, scientists consolidate and update the figures within minutes, but tabloid journalists take the highest bid
You need to wait for a story to build up to have a clear picture
I live in some area where an earthquake you can hardly feel happens every other year. Some newspapers would tell reader how it was pandemonium, because they have a new topic besides city hall plans to install a bench that's nowhere near trees
Yes, that is common though. You have a variety of measurements, from a variety of technologies, from a variety of distances, and from a variety of sources. Given the damage a quake and tsunami can cause, especially the early measurements are estimates that later get corrected in light of new information. In Japan for example, it is very much not uncommon that early tsunami warnings are later cancelled. Yes, false alarms are bad, but the example I usually use in terms of how much time can matter is the 1983 Sea of Japan quake [1], where the tsunami hit in 12 minutes after the quake.
I was in that earthquake. Was finally able to check in to a hotel now. It was very scary. The room was shaking for at least 5 minutes and the walls were cracking. We all ran outside, down the stairs, and waited across the street until the engineers told us to walk far away. Then the siding started falling from the building (29 floors).
I felt it as well in Cebu, so I can only imagine what it was like when much closer to it. And there was a 8.0+ one in the northeast last month as well, right?
I'm in Northern Cebu, never felt it. I guess you are in the city.
I thought the general recommendation is to stay inside during an earthquake to avoid the facade falling issue and injury from evacuation?
Or is that only in places with certain building codes?
In BC, Canada, the recommendation is to take cover under a desk e.g.
My personal take is that if I have a chance to make it quickly out of a building I prefer to be out of it rather than having it collapse on me. It's one of those things where the recommendation probably is the right thing for the general population and all expected earthquakes but I'm optimizing for something else. You have 10-20 seconds realistically. But yes things falling off the walls and off buildings and anything that can fall on you is a risk. In my office or home e.g. I'm typically on the ground floor within seconds of an exit so my mental preparation is to avoid the building falling on me. Maybe it's the wrong calculus but hey...
In the Loma Prieta earthquake most of my coworkers fled the newly constructed office building. Dodged falling ceramic roofing tiles. And then ran across the parking lot to take safety under the power lines.
I've always wondered about that and how human fear may override training and advice.
Seems like you would be fighting the part of your brain telling you it's (solely) /your/ building collapsing and you need to get out
And wondering if the building is up to code, and trusting that in the moment
Training and advice is about the expected disaster, not necessarily the one you are in.
In 9/11, lots of people escaped the south tower using elevators, which is the opposite of what you're told to do. There are people who died because they chose to follow the stair route. But others died because they were trapped in elevators.
Hope you are staying safe
Does Philippines have seismic building codes?
Probably not right ?
It's a poor country with a lot of ramshackle housing and "informal settlements" (slums). Seismic codes exist, implementation and enforcement are an entirely different matter.
They have good seismic building codes on the newer condos.
The most reliable up-to-date source is typically Phivolcs, but currently their website is overloaded, so X/Twitter:
https://www.phivolcs.dost.gov.ph/earthquake-information/
https://x.com/phivolcs_dost?lang=en
> PHIVOLCS-DOST @phivolcs_dost
#EarthquakePH #EarthquakeSarangani #iFelt_SaranganiEarthquake
Earthquake Information No.2
Date and Time: 08 June 2026 - 07:37 AM Magnitude = 7.8 Depth = 033 km Location = 05.57°N, 124.98°E - 032 km S 04° W of Maasim (Sarangani)
http://x.com/phivolcs_dost/status/2063780683978535398 https://x.com/phivolcs_dost/status/2063780683978535398/photo...
Phivolcs literally gets hugged to death after almost every significant event. Really unfortunate considering the subject matter.
Unacceptable given it could be life and death. Understandable that clients' coverage struggles courtesy of Philippines' patchy cellular networks, but far less forgivable that a server for a critical emergency website has problems.
Felt it ~600KM away in a high floor, building was swaying. Others didn't feel it and at first I thought I was just [unusually] light-headed or something, but then we realized a door was swinging back and forth slightly, and a hanging plant was swaying.
Civil Defence here in NZ is saying there's no tsunami threat (to NZ anyway):
https://www.civildefence.govt.nz/
Since the submitted link is a yahoo syndication of AP...
Here's the AP source which is being updated more rapidly, including title updates:
https://apnews.com/article/philippines-earthquake-mindanao-6...
The Phillipines are a beautifully scary place to be.
Earthquakes, volcanoes, tsunamis, floods, cyclones, typhoons, floods, epidemics, poisinous Jellyfish, and a whole lot more..
I have friends from the Phillipines, and think they are truly swell - and the pics they send look awesome, but I wouldn't dream of visiting them.
https://www.statista.com/statistics/921036/philippines-risk-...
I visited the Philippines in December and January and it was great. The highlight of my trip was learning to scuba dive in Mindoro. Highly recommend a visit.
Whoa even double floods
It's now confirmed that the Cotabato Trench caused the earthquake. It's scary that this trench has been moving a lot lately during the past few years.
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A tsunami wave isn't necessarily high, it is not at all like a regular wave which arrives on shore, breaks and immediately dissipates. A tsunami wave could be just a handful of inches high but it keeps coming on and on and on, pushing more and more water in as the incoming rush of water seems to never stop.
It is why I don't think tidal wave is a bad term for the phenomena, A wave that comes in like the tide. at least as good as tsunami, literally harbor wave, Which I guess is a wave you get in a harbor(a place with no waves usually)
Tsunamic tide would be better - as it operates like a high tide, which can be relatively shallow but still cause a lot of action.
This could have been so much worse if a big tsunami was triggered though. Thankful the shaking didn't generate one
Lots of sources claiming it might be anywhere between 8.0 and 9.0.
Al Jazeera:
> The US National Tsunami Warning Center, which downgraded the quake from an earlier estimate of magnitude 8.2, said the quake posed no threat to coastal areas of the US.
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/6/8/tsunami-warnings-iss...
Lots of sources are initially approximate or conflicting, scientists consolidate and update the figures within minutes, but tabloid journalists take the highest bid
You need to wait for a story to build up to have a clear picture
I live in some area where an earthquake you can hardly feel happens every other year. Some newspapers would tell reader how it was pandemonium, because they have a new topic besides city hall plans to install a bench that's nowhere near trees
Yes, that is common though. You have a variety of measurements, from a variety of technologies, from a variety of distances, and from a variety of sources. Given the damage a quake and tsunami can cause, especially the early measurements are estimates that later get corrected in light of new information. In Japan for example, it is very much not uncommon that early tsunami warnings are later cancelled. Yes, false alarms are bad, but the example I usually use in terms of how much time can matter is the 1983 Sea of Japan quake [1], where the tsunami hit in 12 minutes after the quake.
[1]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1983_Sea_of_Japan_earthquake