THE SIMULTANEOUS earthquake drill in the town of Jose Abad Santos, Davao Occidental on Nov. 9 will focus on tsunami resilience, the Office of the Civil Defense (OCD) XI said.
As the United Nations declared Nov. 5 as Tsunami Awareness Day, the last quarter of the simultaneous drill will highlight the potential disaster, which is a direct offshoot of the earthquake.
During the Kapihan sa PIA on Nov. 6, Ednar Dayanghirang, OCD XI regional director, said 23 out of the 26 barangays in Jose Abad Santos line the coast, making them extremely vulnerable to high waves.
“Our event will be in Barangay Buguis, Jose Abad Santos. Sa hazard map of Philvocs (Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology), ang Jose Abad Santos ang dagha’g red lines, meaning, it’s determined that if tsunami will happen, these communities will be greatly affected,” Dayanghirang said.
Dayanghirang said this will also promote awareness and preparedness of communities in Jose Abad Santos and the entire Davao Region.
The national event is in cooperation with the provincial government and the National Disaster Risk and Reduction Management Council.
He also emphasized that the whole activity will still be nationwide and they have already assigned drills in some areas in the Davao region. The identified evacuation areas for the simultaneous event are the schools located uphill and the Kalahi Road in Barangay Buguis, as assessed by the OCD-XI and Philvocs.
Photo by Barangay Buguis, Jose Abad Santos
