Metro Manila (CNN Philippines) — A second “shake drill” has been planned for Metro Manila following the success of the 2015 quake drill that highlighted the importance of safety measures that should be taken in the event of a massive earthquake.
The Metro Manila Development Authority (MMDA) released a statement last (May 13) announcing the 2nd Metro Manila Shake Drill and 2nd Nationwide Simultaneous Earthquake Drill (NSED), to anticipate a “7.2 magnitude quake hitting the metropolis.”
The drill will happen at 9 a.m. on June 22.
MMDA Chairman Emerson Carlos and General Manager Corazon Jimenez have been coordinating with government agencies and members of the private sector for the Shake Drill.
Under the improved disaster assessment plan named Oplan Metro Yakal Plus, the provinces of Cavite, Laguna, Bulacan, and Rizal will also be tapped to conduct similar drills and help victims of natural disasters.
Carlos said, “Hopefully, the second quake drill would pave the way for the institutionalization of the shake drill.”
Renato Solidum, director of the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology, was among the resource people present last Thursday (May 12) when Carlos met with mall operators to discuss what their role would be in the upcoming drill.
He noted that one of the issues that wasn’t tackled during the 2015 drill was that participants were not debriefed after converging at their evacuation sites, adding that “there should always be an evaluation of the drill at the end.”
Undersecretary Alexander Pama of the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council, who was also present during the consultation with mall operators, said that the objective of the Oplan Metro Yakal Plus was to “avoid an organized confusion” during a catastrophic earthquake as each agency has been tasked respective roles and responsibilities to play.”
He added that the quake drill would increase people’s awareness of not just survival skills, but also how to help potential victims.
Source: cnnphilippines.com
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