ILOILO City – Local government units (LGUs) are being urged to prepare for the possible occurrence of the much-dreaded “Big One” following the earthquake in Masbate yesterday and in Turkey and Syria last week.
Dr. Renato Solidum, Department of Science and Technology (DOST) secretary and concurrent Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) director, said recent earthquakes were reminders that a strong earthquake can happen in any city, province or region near fault lines, thus, preparation is a must.
Solidum was in Iloilo yesterday for the 2023 Visayas Cluster Call Conference. He was the keynote speaker.
According to Phivolcs, a magnitude 6 earthquake rocked Batuan, Masbate at 2:10 a.m. yesterday, disrupting the supply of electricity of the entire province and suspending work and classes.
On Feb. 6, a massive magnitude 7.8 earthquake devastated southeastern Turkey and parts of Syria, claiming at least 40,000 lives. This triggered fresh calls from lawmakers to overhaul the 46-year-old National Building Code, and prepare the country for the “Big One.”
Solidum warned of the so-called “Big One” in Metro Manila or a possible magnitude 7.2 earthquake with intensity 8 once the West Valley fault moves.
In Panay Island, an earthquake may occur if the West Panay Fault moves.
“Ang DOST through Phivolcs ay nag-train na ng mga LGUs especially dito sa Panay. Like in Iloilo City, kung gumalaw ang West Panay Fault, meron kaming estimate ng mga masisira at mamamatay. Pero kailangang i-update ng LGUs as they have more developments at nag-increase din ang population. Ibig sabihin bawat syudad, probinsya may sariling ‘Big One’ scenario,” Solidum told local media during a sideline interview.
The DOST executive said through preparedness campaign, all other agencies must understand the need for preparedness being a whole of society advocacy.
The preparation includes creation of science-based scenarios for all stakeholders to understand what can happen in an area or what is the impact of the disaster in a given event so that the most appropriate response can be applied.
“We need to capacitate the LGUs for them to be able to do this scenario-building and we have been training the LGUs through Phivolcs through rapid earthquake damage assessment system,” said Solidum.
He also emphasized that all related information and preparedness must be disseminated in the locality.
“Merong responsibilidad ang bawat isa sa atin na alamin kung ano ang mangyayari kung lumindol, saan ang evacuation area, paano mag-evacuate,” he added.
Solidum further noted that the DOST-Phivolcs has developed an application called “Hazard Hunter” where one can actually know the hazard right away in less than a minute in a given location.
“When there is a disaster, by typing the city or town, we can guide the LGU on how to recover by developing an automated planning tool called ‘plan smart ready to recover’ which will facilitate development of a response plan within a few weeks. All information will be integrated in our geographic information and ICT platform which are available for LGUs and some apps available for all Filipinos,” he added.
Panay island is no stranger to strong tremors. On Jan. 25, 1948 at around 1:46 a.m. a magnitude 8.2 earthquake jolted the island and its sleeping people. It destroyed 55 Spanish-era stone churches and triggered a tsunami.
IS PANAY ISLAND READY FOR ANOTHER ‘LADY CAYCAY?’
If an earthquake similar to the post-World War 2 tremor called “Lady Caycay” strikes today, do the people of Panay Island, specifically those in this city, know what to do?
The 1948 quake “Lady Caycay” is considered one of the strongest earthquakes in the 500-year Philippine earthquake history.
Cindy Ferrer, Office of Civil Defense Region 6 (OCD-6) information officer and spokesperson of the Regional Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council, told Panay News in a previous interview that preparations of LGUs for earthquakes and other calamities like typhoons are being done with regularity.
Western Visayas has been taking part in nationwide simultaneous earthquake drills, said Ferrer.
She added that OCD-6 and partner agencies also hold capacity-building training to prepare people for earthquakes, and provinces and highly urbanized cities have contingency plans.
On top of these, the region has “response assets” and 12 regional evacuation centers.
“We also have existing earthquake response mechanisms such as response clusters, the Emergency Operation Center and Incident Management Team to manage the situation,” said Ferrer.
For worst case scenarios, according to Ferrer, OCD-6 has an agreement with other regions for augmentation.
Western Visayas’ “twinning regions” are the following:
* Region 7 for the first wave (regional office in closest proximity that is expected to readily provide augmentation)
* Regions 5 and 8 for the second wave (relatively in close proximity and can likewise readily provide augmentation)
* Cordillera Autonomous Region; regions 1, 2, 3, 4A, 4B, 9, 10, 11, and 12; Caraga Administrative Region; and Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao for the third wave (provision of assistance that requires ample time due to geographic situation)
As to the safety of structures against earthquake, Ferrer said building assessment is within the purview of the engineering department of every LGU with technical assistance from the Department of Public Works and Highways./PN
