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Friday, March 29, 2024

MMDA officials, personnel join 3rd natl quake drill

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The Metro Manila Development Authority on Wednesday joined the 3rd nationwide earthquake drill spearheaded by the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council which aims to prevent loss of lives and lessen the damage to property in case of a big tremor.

The event also coincided with MMDA’s annual Metro Manila shake drill which simulates scenarios and response in the event a 7.2 magnitude earthquake hits the National Capital Region and nearby provinces.

All MMDA employees participated in the drill and executed the “duck, cover and hold” maneuver, and followed the agency’s evacuation plan.

Chairman Danilo Lim said it is important to raise public awareness on disaster preparedness and safety precautions should always be observed.

“Everyone should seriously engage in the shake drill because lives are at stake here,” Lim stressed.

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The nationwide earthquake drill was supposed to be held on Sept. 21 but was postponed due to President Rodrigo Duterte’s declaration of National Day of Protest and suspension of classes and work in government offices.

The earthquake drill is scheduled once every three months and usually falls on the last month of every quarter.

The MMDA chief said it is important to have a regular earthquake drill to be better prepared in the event that the “Big One” jolts Metro Manila.

Lim said that aside from the overwhelming support from the private sector, there was also a huge number of barangay officials and community leaders who participated in this year’s drill unlike the previous exercises.

He suggested that there should be more quake drills in the future before the MMDA could conduct an unannounced earthquake exercise.

“We can never attain a perfect score here. We always strive to improve and be better every shake drill,” Lim said.

The MMDA created an Earthquake Contingency Plan or Oplan Metro Yakal Plus, a Metro Manila Disaster Risk Reduction Management Council’s response tool based on the 7.2 magnitude movement of the West Valley Fault (WVF) with Intensity 8 ground shaking.

Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology director Renato Solidum said the intensity of the ground shaking from the WVF with a 7.2 magnitude will not only affect Metro Manila, but will also be felt in nearby provinces of Bulacan, Rizal, Cavite and Laguna.

He said with an Intensity 8 earthquake, the scenarios of fire incidents, collapsed structures and hazardous traffic incidents would occur.

Based on the Oplan Yakal contingency plan, Metro Manila will be divided into four quadrants.

At present, the East Quadrant command center is located at Light Railway Transit—2 train depot in Santolan, Pasig City; the North Quadrant at the Veterans’ Memorial Medical Center in Quezon City; the South Quadrant at Villamor Airbase in Pasay City and the West Quadrant at the Intramuros Golf Course in Manila.

The golf clubs will also be used as relief distribution hub, trauma centers, mobile hospitals, training and command post based on the agreement made by the agency and the management of the golf courses.

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