Official: Preparation still best response vs quake

March 29, 2011

CITY OF SAN FERNANDO — A government seismologist urged the public and private sectors here Monday to institute risk preparedness plans as the best response against worst earthquake scenarios.
Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) Director Renato Solidum Jr., in his talk before members of the Pampanga Chamber of Commerce (PamCham) and local government officials, said preparedness is better than responding to disasters, and awareness at the grassroots level is an effective approach in case of a strong earthquake.
Solidum also called for the strict adherence to the national building code as protection against earthquakes and tsunami.

He said a house with a good design and built with quality construction materials and good workmanship has the greater chance of surviving an earthquake.
The talk held at Max’s Restaurant here was in response to recent earthquakes that devastated New Zealand and Japan.
Solidum said a preparedness plan to hurdle a worst case scenario of a strong earthquake and minimize damage to life and property calls for land use and development plans that are in line with disaster management principles. It also needs unique topography of the land concerned.
The Phivolcs, he said, is also looking at preparedness at the local level, particularly public and private sector collaboration in disaster response.
However, he did not underscore the role of local government units, saying local officials should be more serious in responding and anticipating disasters.
“Local preparedness should not be reactionary. Whenever we hear news of a strong earthquake here and there, that is only the time that we prepare. The problem is we cannot predict when an earthquake will strike so it is better to prepare all year round,” Solidum said.
During the forum, Solidum also presented a simulation of two houses, one following the building code and the other using substandard design and construction specifications.
Both were “subjected” to a magnitude-7 shaking of the round.
“So you see, the house which followed the building code did not collapse. The point here is that structures built following the building code would stand whether the epicenter is near or far,” remarked Solidum.
He said owners of houses and buildings should spend for their structures for safety and as a means to “stay alive and safe” to be able to help others in times of earthquakes and tsunamis.
“I am sure there are many buildings in Pampanga that do not follow the building code. Kailangan lang mag-ikot and inspect these houses and buildings. Kailangan talaga gastusan ng may-ari,” he said.
Solidum also said earthquake drills, awareness campaigns and creation of response units in the local level are just a few of the things that people can prepare for earthquake disasters.
He also revealed that Pampanga needs to trace its history as a means of coming up with an earthquake response plan.
“The most that Pampanga may experience is an intensity-6 earthquake. But if you look back at its history from 1645 to 1880, many churches here have been destroyed. Much of the earthquakes here in Central Luzon come from the [Iba] Zambales, West and East Valley fault lines. But there is no need to worry if the building is good,” added Solidum.
In terms of liquefaction, Solidum cited structures near the Pampanga River and Pasig-Potero River as most prone.
“Iyung tsunami naman, if it enters the Manila trench would take time to reach Pampanga. There would be time to prepare. But the most important thing here is to educate people starting at the barangay level, then moving ahead to communities and organizations,” he said.
He also stressed governance as another key factor in earthquake preparedness.
“Infrastructure like schools and hospitals must be inspected and old buildings condemned. There ought to be capacity building, including the creation of urban search and rescue teams. We must stay in partners in making the community safe and following the building code is the first step,” Solidum said.
Businessmen Levy P. Laus and Rene Romero, PamCham’s chairman and vice chairman, respectively, said their group is committing the establishment of a Pampanga Rescue Team that has been undergoing training since last year.
Romero said they have been mobilizing materials and resources for the full operation of the Pampanga Rescue Team, in cooperation with the Philippine National Police and other disaster response networks here.
“There is so much at stake here. Being prepared is always a good way of overcoming any impending disaster. We at PamCham will always be ready to help in informing our people and will go even to the point of helping them through these efforts,” Laus said.
Romero, for his part, said that PamCham will be coordinating more seminars and talks in disaster preparedness in the coming weeks.
The activity was attended by close to a hundred participants from member business sector, government agencies and civil society groups.

Source: http://www.sunstar.com.ph/pampanga/local-news/2011/03/28/official-preparation-still-best-response-vs-quake-147361

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