Quake revisited

THE earthquake Friday night that hit Cebu was slight compared to what was felt in Visayas areas nearest the epicenter but it was a chance to test local emergency preparedness.

Cebu officials promised to take measures after the earthquake last Feb. 6 when students and office workers rushed out of their buildings and panicked residents ran from what they thought was a coming tsunami.

The tremor felt by Cebu residents Friday night was the second time this year after the Feb. 6 quake. People rushed out again of tall buildings Friday night when tremors reached Cebu from the magnitude 7.7 earthquake off Eastern Samar.

Were emergency procedures crafted after February followed? How did the evacuation of building occupants differ from their experience of six months ago? Did the Cebu City Government put into action disaster measures as planned?

The earthquake Friday resulted in one death and seven houses damaged in Cagayan de Oro City. A tsunami alert or huge wages caused by an under-the-sea earthquake was raised and, for a few hours, residents in affected areas were told to evacuate.

Reports said the quake was felt at Intensity 7 in Guiuan, Oras, Sulat, Borongan City, all in Eastern Samar; Intensity 6 in Siargao, Surigao del Norte; Tacloban; Palo, Leyte; and St. Bernard, Southern Leyte; Intensity 5 in Mati City, Compostela, Legaspi City, Iloilo City, Bislig City, and Iligan City; Intensity 4 in Butuan City, Catbalogan City, and Cagayan de Oro City; Intensity 3 in Cotabato City, Mambajao in Camiguin, and General Santos City; and Intensity 2 in Marawi City and Sipalay City.

In Cebu, people left their workplaces inside tall buildings at the IT Park in Lahug, at Fuente Osmeña and at the Sun.Star offices in downtown. There was no panic and no “tsunami run” like what happened in February when people rushed to elevated places. It helped that the trem- ors were not as strong and lasted only a few seconds, and most people were at home for dinner.

Cebu officials enumerated measures to prepare for an earthquake after the February incident. Cebu City Mayor Michael Rama had said he would need a command center equipped with communication and warning systems and surveillance cameras.

Mentioned also was the need for public address systems to be placed at strategic points in the city to give out warnings or announcements. This was an offshoot of the panic that ensued from wrong information about a tsunami alert in Cebu. Schools, offices and hospitals were reminded to hold emergency drills so people would know the best way to respond to an earthquake.

There was no report yet on how local agencies responded to the Friday night earthquake. Were the procedures developed after February followed? Did the persons who were supposed to come out in public immediately to assure or warn Cebuanos do their part?

Disaster preparedness agencies should give a report on how we coped this second time around and if there were improvements in the ways we responded.