By: Mary May A. Abellon
DIPOLOG CITY – The
city government here has conducted a citywide simultaneous earthquake and fire
drill on Friday, July 29, 2016 toculminate the National Disaster Consciousness
Month celebration.
The drill started with a loud siren
from the Zamboanga del Norte Electric Cooperative (ZANECO) and ringing of bells
of the Roman Catholic Church to warn the public against impending danger.
In a created scenario, the city
experienced a 7.2 magnitude earthquake due to the movement of the Western
Mindanao External Fault Line causing the destruction of buildings and edifice,
fire, death and injuries.
The said drill has tested the
Emergency Team Responders (ETR) in their quick response capabilities and
efficiency in handling cases during emergency and public confusion.
Moreover, it will help the people
and the community to be prepared and remain alert during such situations.
The victims were brought to evacuation
sites and were given first aid before being brought to the temporary treatment
area at Plaza Magsaysay where the Incident Command Post (ICP) is also situated.
The drills were simultaneously
conducted at Dipolog City Hall, Dipolog Pilot Demonstration School, Saint
Mary’s Academy, Saint Vincent’s College, Estaka Central School, Dipolog City
Public Market, Banco Dipolog includingJollibee and Lee
Plaza City Central.
It
was participated by the Office of Civil Defense, Provincial Disaster Risk
Reduction and Management Council (PDRRMC), City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management
Council (CDRRMC), Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG), Armed
Forces of the Philippines (AFP), Philippine National Police (PNP), Bureau of
Fire Protection (BFP), Philippine Red Cross, and other private organizations.