GUIMARAS – To assess the readiness of the school and its learners to disasters, the Guimaras provincial government’s Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (PDRRMO) held an earthquake drill at Paaralan ng Buhay ng Tando in Barangay Tando, Nueva Valencia town.
Students, teachers and faculty took part in the drill on Feb. 22 which was also attended by national government agencies such as the Philippine National Police, Philippine Red Cross, Philippine Coast Guard, Bureau of Fire Protection, and rescuers, among others.
They were taught the five-sequence command – “drop, cover, hold, clear, and out” – and the designated area for evacuation.
Barangay Tando is a hazard-prone area being a coastal barangay.
It is also prone to tsunamis because it is situated near the Negros Trench, a long, narrow depression on the seafloor west of Negros Island.
The PDRRMO’s initiative came after a magnitude 6 earthquake rocked Batuan, Masbate, on Feb. 16.
The Office of Civil Defense Region 6 and Dr. Renato Solidum, Department of Science and Technology secretary and concurrent Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology director, issued warnings that the recent earthquake was a reminder that a stronger one could happen in any city, province or region near fault lines, thus, preparation is a must./PN
