Phivolcs geologists inspect damage along fault line in Ormoc

Phivolcs geologists pose in the basketball court in Purok Dos, Brgy. Tongonan, Ormoc on Sunday, July 9, 2017, where intense activity on the fault line during the July 6 earthquake broke the court and elevated half of it. JP SORIANO

Geologists from the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) on Sunday inspected an area in Ormoc, Leyte where activity on the fault line was particularly intense during the magnitude 6.5 earthquake that hit the region last Thursday.

The scientists, led by Supervising Science Research Specialist Jeffrey Perez, noted that in Purok Dos in Brgy. Tongonan, the earthquake broke the ground along the fault and elevated one side of it. The quake broke up a basketball court and the floors of structures sitting on the fault line.

The geologists recommended that the residents whose houses are on top of the active fault be evacuated.

According to the Ormoc LGU on its Facebook page, Phivolcs also recommended that any structures to be built in the area must be at least five meters from the fault line.

Ormoc Mayor Richard Gomez is also studying how to relocate the affected residents.

At least two people were killed in the magnitude 6.5 earthquake that hit the region on Thursday afternoon. — BM, GMA News