THE BIG ONE, as big as it sounds, has a great destructive impact to the Philippines once the 7.2 magnitude earthquake strikes. According to the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology, the West Valley Fault traverses various parts of the dense Metro Manila area and can shake the neighboring provinces as well. Once the earthquake happens, the National Capital Region will be isolated because of collapsed roads and buildings. The northern and southern parts of Metro Manila may also be separated. Aside from that, knowing that Metro Manila is highly populated, a lot of lives are at risk. Individual interaction will be affected since all lines of communication will be down. The society will also be in chaos since the central government is located in the Metro and will also be affected. Since NCR is the business capital of the Philippines, the quake will have a repercussion in the economy until a domino effect happens. Issues will emerge all at once after the disaster. Our country will face a lot of difficulties before we can stand back to our normal way of living. The earthquake is not a prediction, it will surely be inevitable so the least we can do is to prepare to lessen the damages.
Lou Gepuela - a writer from Rappler, a disaster risk reduction advocate and an Agos mover, visited our class to discuss about The Big One.
Agos Project, powered by eBayanihan, promotes innovative and responsible use of mobile and web technologies to facilitate the flow of critical and actionable information to those who need it before, during and after disasters. Through social media, rescuers are able to detect and send help to those who are in danger.
Metro Manila Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council or MMDRRMC is composed of representatives of local government units in Metro Manila and regional officials of national government agencies. They have the primary role to respond to disasters in Metro Manila.
Oplan Metro Yakal Plus is the the contingency plan of the Metro Manila Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (MMDRRMC) which details the protocols and procedures that would take place in the event of a 7.2 magnitude earthquake. In the plan, they divided Metro Manila to four quadrants namely the north, south, east and west. Each quadrant has their respective commander who will cooperate with MMDRRMC to respond to emergencies and give orders to their quadrant. Rescue equipment are also prepositioned in each quadrant to be used in rescue operations. According to Republic Act 10121, the first responder to disasters is the barangay. If the big one strikes, Cordillera is assigned to assist Manila. The bridges would be down so the main transportation will be through the Pasig River.
Each quadrant has their own weak qualities. In the west old Manila specifically in the Intramuros area, there are many old houses made of wood which make the area prone to fire. It's also near the sea. The safest place in the west during an earthquake is the Intramuros Golf Course because it's an open area. While in the south, the safest is the Villamor Airbase. In the whole Philippines, Palawan is the safest place because it has no volcanoes and fault lines.
Each quadrant has their own weak qualities. In the west old Manila specifically in the Intramuros area, there are many old houses made of wood which make the area prone to fire. It's also near the sea. The safest place in the west during an earthquake is the Intramuros Golf Course because it's an open area. While in the south, the safest is the Villamor Airbase. In the whole Philippines, Palawan is the safest place because it has no volcanoes and fault lines.
The worse case scenario is about to happen. Infrastructures may collapse; falling debris may injure citizens in the worse case possible; resources such as food, water and electricity will not be available; roads will be blocked resulting to the isolation of some areas; telecommunication lines will be cut; and hospitals will be closed for the people in need of medication. All of these scenarios cannot be avoided since an earthquake is a natural disaster, but the negative impacts can be reduced if we are ready. Communities must prepare for emergency evacuation, relief, search and rescue, emergency transport and communication, debris clearing, burial services and medical camps.
Government units have their own roles when the disaster happens. This can be related to the social imagination of functionalism because the institutions have their respective functions which are vital to each other. On the time of the disaster, these institutions will depend on each other for the emergency plans to be effective.
As a matter of fact, we are fortunate enough to be born in this period of time because we became educated about the hazards of natural disasters. Pre-modern disaster risk reduction include: the use of technology to warn people about a disaster, using scientific knowledge to calculate an intensity of a disaster, and having emergency plans. During the Mount Pinatubo Eruption, an aeta family survived because they learned from their ancestors to protect themselves from by hiding in a cave and burying themselves under the mud. Indigenous people have their own disaster risk reduction practices and beliefs such as believing that if the leaves of the Ayutay tree would turn white, rain will arrive a week after. In that way, they can prepare for safety.
One thing that Mr. Lou Gepuela told us that I'll never forget is that we need to take the earthquake drills seriously. It will determine how prepared we are when a disaster happens. When an alarming situation occurs, even if we know what to do we usually become overwhelmed by the situation until we are under panic. Having regular shake drills can train us to have that natural instinct to know what to do during a disaster. Unannounced shake drills are more effective since the public will not plan ahead the drill. Individuals should also prepare a survival kit at home inclusive of a flashlight and a whistle in case we are buried underground. It will make it easier for rescuers to search us during an operation.
Learning about The Big One made me afraid of what's going to happen. But knowing that the government is preparing for the possible outcomes, I realized that fear will not save me when the earthquake happens. I need to engage on the preparations by simply participating in the shake drills and being aware of the emergency plan. I also need to prepare an emergency kit for my family and know all the open areas near my community to serve as a safe space. As what Mr. Lou Gepuela taught us, we need to interact with many people as possible for us to help each other during the earthquake. Interacting with the society is essential because humanity can save us.
sources:
www.moneymax.com
rappler.com
www.facebook.com/lou.gepuela
thedailystar.net
intothejungle.org
cnnphilippines.com
army.mil.ph