Thousands join earthquake drill

THOUSANDS of students from Davao City National High School (DCNHS) participated in the Nationwide Simultaneous Earthquake Drill for the third quarter of this year yesterday.

Office of Civil Defense-11 (OCD 11) regional director Leoncio Cirunay Jr., in an interview, said the third leg of this year's earthquake drill piloted in Cavite City but is still conducted by all regions in the country.

"Since we piloted the earthquake drill during the second quarter at the University of Mindanao (UM) Bolton Campus, we heard that the local government of Cavite City was challenged as our drill was very much appreciated by many people both outside and inside the city," Cirunay said.

Prior the drill, spearheaded by both OCD 11 and Davao City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (DCDRRMO), he said city and municipal governments in the region chose various public schools and government agencies to conduct

the drill.

In the city, he added that the local government chose DCNHS as the venue for its great student population.

DCNHS has over 12,200 students, teachers, and nonteaching personnel.

As compared to the previous earthquake drill in UM Bolton Campus where intensive operations were done by various government agencies, the drill at DCNHS focused on the implementation of Duck, Cover, and Hold procedures during an earthquake.

"It is just a simple drill to assess if the school is capable to handle scenarios like this and to educate its disaster management team on the proper procedures and management," Cirunay said.

He added that the public shall expect more drills will be conducted by the government to prepare Dabawenyos' survival skills during calamities and emergencies. BSC