All systems go on metrowide earthquake drill on Thursday –- MMDA

METRO SHAKE earthquake drill is all set (PNA)

MANILA – It is all systems go for the July 30 metrowide shake drill initiated by the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) for the public to be prepared in case a powerful earthquake hits the National Capital Region (NCR).

This was announced by the MMDA Chairman Francis Tolentino on Tuesday after he convened a final meeting on the different government agencies and mayors of 17 local government units and different dignitaries.

”Na finalize na po namin yun mga gagawin kasama ang sandatahang lakas at kapulisan at mga metro mayors. More or less firm up na ngayong araw na ito,” Tolentino told reporters after the meeting with Metro Manila mayors held at the Emerald Garden in Roxas Boulevard, Manila.

In order to make the drill effective, Tolentino said they are hoping that various sectors will give their all-out participation.

“It will be a manageable event but what will drive the success of this is the cooperation of all,” he said, adding that they expect some seven million participants in the event.

Tolentino also distributed three computer tablets and two LCD monitors for each mayor of Metro Manila to monitor their emergency quick response.

”The tablets will be given to them for free, hawak lang ito ng mayor for local use and DDRMC, may software/app yan (Pureforce). It is just an emergency system response,” he explained.

For his part, Jojo Soliman, CEO of Pure Force and Rescue Corporation a provider of emergency response and rescue solutions in the country, said they developed the system together with a mobile personal emergency response app for smart phones which subscribers can tap during emergency situations.

“From road side assistance to most critical emergency situations like fire, crimes, medical emergencies, subscribers of the app can get help and be provided with emergency assistance,” said Soliman.

Tolentino said the drill will cover 16 cities and one town in Metro Manila. To signal the start of the drill, sirens will blare, church bells will ring, and fire alarms go off.

The drill will start at 10:30 a.m. and last for a full hour, until 11:30 a.m. on July 30, Thursday.

Metro Manila will be divided into four evacuation areas: Intramuros golf course for the west area, Veterans Memorial Medical Center golf course in the north, LRT2 depot in the east, and Villamor Airbase golf course in the south.

Tolentino also clarified that power and communication lines will not be interrupted during the drill.

In MMDA’s Oplan Metro Yakal, an area in Macapagal Boulevard is designated as mass burial site.

He explained that the agency will use some roads where “cadavers” be temporary placed before they are brought to the mass burial site.

Oplan Metro Yakal is MMDA’s earthquake contingency plan which focuses on preparedness of government resources and that of private organizations during emergencies.

Phivolcs recently released the Valley Fault System Atlas which contained detailed maps of the areas near the earthquake faults — the East Valley Fault which runs through Rizal province and the West Valley Fault which spans from Bulacan going to Rizal, Metro Manila, Cavite and Laguna.

The agency said a strong movement equivalent to a magnitude 7.2 from the fault is a possibility that could likely result in the death of more than 30,000 people based from Phivolcs studies.

The atlas also identified the 72 barangays in the metro cities of Pasig, Quezon, Marikina, Makati, Taguig and Muntinlupa which are above the fault line.