DAVAO DEL NORTE, April 2 (PIA) – About a thousand government employees participated in the earthquake drill on Wednesday inside the Provincial Government Center in Mankilam, Tagum City.
Governor Rodolfo del Rosario said the exercise aims to promote awareness and to test the disaster response and preparations of government offices inside the Capitol Compound.
The governor stressed the importance of having the drill since Davao del Norte is traversed by three parallel fault lines, namely; the Central Mindanao Fault, Eastern Mindanao Fault and Davao River Fault.
The province was not able to participate in the first quarter simultaneous nationwide quake drill held last March 19, since the Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (PDRRMC) is deeply- engrossed in monitoring the onset of Tropical Depression Caloy, which put Davao del Norte under Signal No. 1.
The storm affected some 3,353 families or 16,765 individuals in the province last month.
But, no casualty was reported, courtesy of the strong disaster preparation and mitigation program of the province.
The Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Division (PDRRMD), which organized the drill, used the scenario of a magnitude 6.9 earthquake with aftershocks.
During the alarm phase of the drill, the personnel followed the duck, cover and hold technique the moment they heard the siren, before hurrying to the evacuation area moments later.
Aside from the provincial offices, national offices located inside the government center also joined the drill, including the offices of the COMELEC, DILG, CSC, DTI, BIR, ROD, LTO, among others.
Del Rosario further revealed the province continues to hold weekly earthquake and fire drills in schools visited by the Advocacy on Disaster Awareness and Management (Oplan A.N.D.A.M.) caravan.
The program teaches residents in disaster-prone barangays simple technologies that reduce their vulnerability to calamities and help them build back better.(noel baguio/davnor pio)
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