EARTHQUAKE PREPAREDNESS MUST BE MORE THAN JUST DRILLS
The magnitude 7.0 earthquake with its epicenter in Tayum, Abra has a depth of 17 kilometers that shook the northwestern part of Luzon and adjacent areas including Metro Manila on July 27 has tested the capabilities of the local government units in their disaster response.
Considered one of the most destructive quakes to hit the country in recent memory, the July 27 tremor has displaced thousands, left six dead, and four missing of press time.
The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology reported Bucloc and Manabo, Abra experienced intensity seven while Baguio City and some areas of Ilocos and Pangasinan recorded intensity six. Aftershocks were recorded in these areas, resulting in some landslides and rockfalls in the Cordillera.
The July 27 earthquake is reminiscent of the July 16, 1990 temblor that hit Baguio City has triggered memories and trauma of those that have lived through the magnitude 7.7 earthquake 32 years ago.
Though lives were still lost, thankfully this recent earthquake left minor damage as compared to the 1990 earthquake. It also exposed the need for disaster management plans that are adaptive to the changing times.
More importantly, these plans should lead towards efficient and effective disaster risk reduction and management response.
We should not stop looking back from the learnings gleaned from the 1990 earthquake. After Baguio City and the rest of the north has recovered after that fateful incident, many LGUs have become lax in implementing disaster plans and even overall management plans.
It’s time for the 77 municipalities and two cities of the Cordillera to reevaluate their DRRM plans and start by appointing full-time disaster managers and even the creation of an office.
There’s a need to develop a disaster information management system, massive information drive, organizing village-based volunteers, integrating disaster management into formal education, and mandatory training for local officials.
It’s also time to assess the earthquake drills being implemented quarterly and be serious about it. These drills should also be conducted at the barangay level and even down to the households. Let the government inform every household to take drills seriously, as it could save lives and properties.
In the area of communication, it is also a primordial concern for our LGUs to strategize their disaster information management system, especially the up-to-date warnings and updates on roads, weather concerns, and general local situation that is needed to be consumed by the public through the mainstream media and in their own social media platforms.
President Ferdinand Marcos, Jr. flew to Abra for a briefing on July 28, and it was a lauded effort from the new administration, hopefully setting the tone on how he will handle upcoming disasters.
The briefing helped the President see the situation on the ground and for the province of Abra to be able to directly say what they needed.
But the “kami naman ang maniningil” statement towards the President by one of the mayors there was uncalled for. Besides, the mere presence of the President is proof the national government is bringing services closer to the people, especially in this most difficult time.
Getting assistance from the national government, especially in a disaster-stricken area, should be an automatic response, and no LGU should be begging to get aid, regardless of the number of voters in LGUs concerned.
We will never know when will another earthquake strike and we might not be 100 percent able to mitigate it. But there is no better substitute to having households that take earthquake drills seriously and are ready for any disaster that might hit the country.