The state seismology agency debunked the favored belief that individuals on higher floors of a constructing should move upward during an earthquake, noting that evacuating to an open field stays the safest option.
The thought suggests that in an earthquake, people on higher floors should move upward toward the rooftop to make rescue easier if the constructing completely collapses.
“I do know we see that in the films. But we cannot predict how a constructing will collapse,” Charmaine V. Villamil, Senior Science Research Specialist on the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (PHIVOLCS), said in a Zoom interview in a combination of English and Tagalog.
“Not all buildings fall like a pancake—some tilt, while others just like the Grand Hyatt (Manila) may collapse inward,” Ms. Villamil said.
During an earthquake, she said, it continues to be ideal to do the duck, cover, and hold, while the shaking is ongoing.
After the shaking stops and it’s deemed protected, calmly leave the constructing and move to an open area away from structures and potential falling debris.
In residential houses, preparedness for earthquakes can also be essential, she said — not only by having a go-bag kit and knowing common earthquake drills, but additionally by being equipped with accurate information.
In the sunshine of recent earthquakes, the inside department on Thursday urged all local chief executives to employ earthquake and tsunami preparedness.
Local government engineering teams were urged to examine critical infrastructure and assess the reoccupation of damaged structures.
Meanwhile, Department of Health Secretary Teodoro J. Herbosa on Tuesday assured that DOH hospitals are expected to resist the “Big One” in Metro Manila, which could generate at the very least a magnitude 7.2 earthquake.
In some local government units, akin to in Laguna, they’ve implemented a suspension of classes as a precautionary measure following the recent earthquakes.
Governor Marisol “Sol” Castillo Aragones-Sampelo said the suspension, which runs from October 14 to 31, covers all face-to-face classes in each private and non-private schools across the province.
Throughout the two-week suspension period, the provincial government will conduct inspections to evaluate the structural integrity of college buildings. — Edg Adrian A. Eva