Public urged to participate in earthquake drill Thursday

The Office of the Civil Defense (OCD) in Region XI is urging Dabawenyos to take part in the Nationwide Simultaneous Earthquake Drill (NSED) on Thursday, November 9.

The NSED is an earthquake disaster preparedness exercise conducted every quarter of the year.

“Ang NSED is a way of preparedness— preparing the people on what to do even na lang sa impormasyon about earthquake at least mahinumduman nato usab, (in terms of information about earthquakes so we could, at least, be reminded again),” OCD XI Regional Director Ednar Dayanghirang said during the At Your Service program of the Davao City Disaster Radio on Tuesday.

Dayanghirang said the drill will focus on schools in Davao Region as reports from the previous NSED in September showed that students are among the most vulnerable during an earthquake.

On September 6, a Magnitude 4.8 earthquake shook the city resulting in minor damages to public school buildings. At least 50 students fainted, some of them brought to hospitals, during the tremor.

“Ang kadaghanan na maapektuhan sa linog, especially if it happens during the day or early evening, are the students because sila man ang biggest population na nakatumpok sa isa ka lugar (A large number of those who will be affected by the earthquake, especially if it happens during the day or early evening, are the students because they are the largest population concentrated in one place),” Dayanghirang said.

He added that as more campuses in Davao City now have high-rise buildings, danger to the students have also increased.

Thursday’s NSED will also include an emphasis on the possibility of a tsunami as an aftermath of an earthquake.

Dayanghirang said Davao City’s Disaster Risk Reduction Management Office (CDRRMO) has established cohesive disaster response plans detailing exigencies during calamities such as an earthquake and tsunami.

He added that the city’s Barangay Disaster Risk Reduction Management (BDRRM) are well-equipped and are also capable of responding to these events.

Dayanghirang said the NSED is a perfect opportunity for DRRMs in all levels to practice and review disaster response plans. CIO