‘Effective Earthquake Plan Needs LGU Support’

Full cooperation among local government units (LGUs) is a major key for Cebu to have an operative disaster plan during earthquake, a top Capitol executive said on Wednesday.

Cebu Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (PDRMMO) Head Baltazar Tribunalo Jr. said that aside from cooperation among barangays and towns, it is also imperative for these LGUs to familiarize themselves with the hazard maps.

Tribunalo said they are currently distributing translated hazard maps to all villages in Cebu province.

“Atong gibuhat karon mao ang pag translate sa hazard maps sa binisaya ug ang pagapaabot niini ngadto sa tanang barangays,” Tribunalo said.

Tribunalo attended the press briefing organized by the Philippine Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) last Wednesday where Phivolcs official Dr. Renato Solidum facilitated a two-day workshop on earthquake awareness and preparedness.

The event was attended by disaster officers and emergency responders in Cebu.

Hazard Maps

Each town, Tribunalo said, should take into consideration the danger zones plotted in the hazard maps as they craft measures to prepare residents for earthquake scenarios. He urged LGUs to integrate the hazard maps in its disaster risk reduction plan, including the do’s and dont’s during earthquake.

“Educating the public of what to do during earthquake is necessary,” Tribunalo said.

The provincial disaster chief also shares some measures in disseminating the disaster plan to the public by initiating community-based and school-based programs.

“Cebu City and the province are working out with the Department of Education and a non-government organization SEED Asia to include a disaster preparedness curriculum in the school,” he said.

The hazard maps identified areas that are likely to experience ground shaking, liquefaction, fire and landslides.

Three faults in Cebu

Based on the hazards maps, Cebu has three fault systems. Two of which were situated in the north and south while the other is in central part of Cebu.

The North Fault, which compromises of Bogo City and San Remegio town, is marked in red to indicate its active while the rest of the faults across the province are blotted in black. This is to denote that they are potentially active.

The Central Cebu Fault transects the cities of Danao, Cebu, Talisay, Naga, and Toledo and the towns of Compostela, Minglanilla and Balamban while the South Fault includes Carcar City and the towns of Sibonga, Argao, Moalboal, Badian, Alegria, Dalaguete, Alcoy and Boljoon.

Dormant for 100 years

Solidum noted that for the last 100 years there is no seismic activity in these faults, making them potential sources for “The Big One”, a term coined by the press in referring to tremors reaching intensity eight.

“These areas have seismic gap or big earthquake gap that when these faults will move, they may generate a strong earthquake,” Solidum said.

The longer period of time the fault has not moved, the more energy it stores, he added.

Solidum, who is also the undersecretary of the Department of Science and Technology, said disclosing the information to the public will raise people’s awareness to lurking dangers of disaster scenarios if they will have a clear picture of what will happen during actual calamity.

“The solution to unpreparedness of people is by sharing them the proper disaster scenarios that can convince them that they need to prepare,” he said.

The Phivolcs chief advised the public to visit its website if they want to know more about the Philippine fault lines.

Also present during the press briefing were Nagiel Banacia, Cebu City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office, Vier Neil Balaba of the Civil Defense Office 7 and Edelberto Paradela of DOST Region 7. (Kelvin Canizares)

cebu.gov.ph