BAGUIO CITY (PIA) — The Department of Science and Technology-Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (DOST-PHIVOLCS) continues to emphasize the importance of prioritizing preparedness before, during, and after an earthquake.
DOST-PHIVOLCS Baguio Field Personnel Jhecie Gurat has said that fostering the culture and instilling preparedness can mitigate the impacts of earthquakes.
“We must always be prepared. [A] disaster, especially earthquake, we don’t know when it will happen, but the greatest thing we can do is we must be prepared at all times. We must know what to do before, during, and after an earthquake,” Gurat said in a recent interview.
Gurat said that they constantly remind the people to always be prepared and ensure that their houses or buildings are well-built and compliant with the building code.
He emphasized the importance of having a ‘handa kit’ that contains essential items including a flashlight, food, and even clothes.
“Though we cannot really combat it or we cannot really know when it will happen, at least, we are prepared, and less damage will happen, less casualty will happen,” he said.
Gurat also underlined the importance of simultaneous earthquake drills conducted across the nation to ensure preparedness.
This, he said, entails instilling discipline in following the rules including the duck-cover-hold strategy.
“Duck, cover and hold means we have to pause while it is shaking and after that, calmly tayo nga rumuar,” Gurat said.
The PHIVOLCS Baguio covers Baguio, Benguet, Ifugao, and Mountain Province. However, its seismic instruments can record ground movements even from far areas. Other provinces of Cordillera are covered by nearby seismic stations.
Based on the data of DOST-PHIVOLCS, there are 17 mapped active faults in the region, traversing Abra, Apayao, Kalinga, Mountain Province, Ifugao, and Benguet including Baguio City.
According to PHIVOLCS, these faults can generate earthquakes with magnitudes of 6.0 and above, with ground shaking intensity that may reach up to PHIVOLCS Earthquake Intensity Scale VII and VIII.
Due to the topography of Cordillera, secondary to the primary impacts of earthquakes are possible occurrences of earthquake-induced landslides. Other scenarios include ground rupture, ground shaking, and liquefaction, it added. **DEG-PIA CAR
