The Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) called on local chief executives (LCEs) on Wednesday, July 30, 2025 to immediately evacuate residents living along coastal areas following a magnitude 8.7 earthquake off Russia’s Kamchatka Peninsula, which triggered tsunami alerts across the Pacific Rim.
The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) warned that the first tsunami waves—expected to be less than one meter high—may reach Philippine coastlines between 1:20 p.m. and 2:40 p.m., with possible waves persisting for several hours.
Phivolcs advised people to stay away from beaches and urged those living near the shorelines to move farther inland.
Coastal provinces under the tsunami watch include Batanes, Cagayan, Isabela, Aurora, Quezon, Camarines Norte, Camarines Sur, Albay, Sorsogon, Catanduanes, Northern Samar, Eastern Samar, Leyte, Southern Leyte, Dinagat Islands, Surigao del Norte, Surigao del Sur, and all five Davao provinces including Davao de Oro.
In addition, the DILG instructed LGUs to implement critical preparedness protocols: activate emergency operations centers, designate evacuation routes and safe zones, post directional signs, and coordinate closely with Phivolcs, regional disaster offices, and other agencies for risk assessment and public awareness campaigns. Boat owners were also advised to secure their vessels and move them away from shorelines.
The quake is among the strongest recorded in decades in the region. It struck at a shallow depth of about 19.3 km around 125–136 km east‑southeast of Petropavlovsk‑Kamchatsky, prompting tsunami warnings and evacuations in Kamchatka, Japan, Hawaii, Alaska, and other Pacific coastal regions. Waves of up to 4 meters hit Russia and up to 3 meters were expected in Japan and Hawaii.
