CDRRMC conducts 2019 Earthquake Drill
THE CORDILLERA Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (CDRRMC) will conduct the first quarter Nationwide Simultaneous Earthquake Drill(NSED) in Baguio City which seeks to educate the public on disaster response and test the predesigned contingency plans of individual local DRRMC’s.
Retired Commodore Albert Mogol, CDRRMC chairman and Office of the Civil Defense – Cordillera regional director explained the 2019 1st Quarter NSED is slated today which will focus on the execution of capabilities of the Cordillera Regional DRRM Council through local government units and private partners as well as the communications interconnectivity of the regional and local DRRMC’s.
“Based on simulated intensity of ground shaking in CAR by the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (PHIVOLCS), several earthquake worst-case scenario were projected to affect the Cordillera region. The first scenario is of a 7.2 magnitude earthquake along the Tubao fault which projects Western Benguet to face a very destructive intensity, while some areas of Benguet to face destructive intensities, some areas of Mountain Province, Ifugao, Abra and Benguet will experience very strong and slightly damaging while other areas of Abra, Kalinga and Apayao to face strong and able to cause panic,” Mogol said.
The second scenario is based on a 7.1 magnitude earthquake which will expose the provinces of Mountain Province, Ifugao and Benguet to a very destructive intensity, Southern Kalinga, Eastern Ifugao and Western Benguet to face a destructive intensity, and Southern Abra to face a very strong and slightly damaging intensity.
“The general objectives of the earthquake drill is to encourage general participation to the NSED and elicit Public involvement in
the National DRRM program, increase public awareness ion the dangers of earthquake and educate the public regarding the importance of awareness, emphasize to the public the importance of duck cover and hold technique, reinforce public perception on government unity in the campaign for national disaster preparedness; and to test, assess, validate and evaluate the existing contingency plans and response of the CDRRMC,” the OCD Director stated.
CDRRMC will also find out what is peculiar for this year’s 1st Quarter NSED aside from looking at new modes of evacuation while applying the 16 forms of checklists to be determined by the designated umpires.
“Earthquakes can happen anytime which is why we need to conduct a quarterly earthquake drills as specified under Republic Act 10121 with additional reference to the National Disaster Risk Reduction Plan, NDRRMC Memorandum number 141 series of 2018 and the Cordillera DRRMC Memorandum number 5 series of 2019,” Mogol added.
R.A. 10121, known as the Philippine Disaster Risk Reduction and Management (DRRM) Act of 2010, is an act mandated to strengthen disaster management in the Philippines, a country prone to natural hazards.