If you don't know the 'BIG ONE' then take time so read this.
(The Philippine Star) | Updated June 4, 2015 - 12:00am
Legislators are aggressively pushing their peers and the public to prepare for the “Big One,” or the big earthquake that could kill thousands of lives and destroy houses and buildings and bridges, the result of which will cost many times more than the country’s budget.
Rep. Gina de Venecia led a group of congressional women to a consultation/seminar at the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) headquarters in Quezon City, where they were told of an expected earthquake that could render areas in Metro Manila in tatters.
Phivolcs director Renato Solidum confirmed what many of us have been told of the East Valley fault running through Rizal, and the West Valley fault, running through Bulacan, Rizal, Metro Manila, Cavite, and Laguna.
Solidum told the audience, which included heads of government and private agencies, presumably coming from areas within West Valley Fault, said the West Valley fault can move in our lifetime because the last earthquake that happened from this fault, the 1658 earthquake 357 years ago, and the interval of movement of the fault is roughly between 400 to 600 years. “So that’s very close,” he said.
The West Valley Fault could possibly generate a magnitude 7.2 earthquake, almost as strong as the magnitude 7.8 earthquake that hit Nepal last month, while the East Valley Fault could generate a magnitude 6.2 earthquake.
In case of a magnitude 7.2 earthquake from the West Valley Fault, 31,000 to 33,500 people could die, according to estimates made by Phivolcs in partnership with the Metro Manila Development Authority, Japan International Cooperation Agency, and Geosciences Australia. The cost of rehabilitation of the hit areas is estimated at P1.8 to 2.3 trillion.
The West Valley Fault, as shown by the Valley Fault System Atlas, a collection of detailed large-scale maps that illustrates the areas that are near an earthquake fault, covers Metro Manila cities and towns. Affected areas in Quezon City are Bagong Silangan, Bagumbayan, Batasan Hills, Blue Ridge B, Libis, Matandang Balara, Pansol, White Plains, Ugong Norte, Loyola Heights, Pasong Putik Proper (Pasong Putik), and Payatas.In Marikina City, affected areas are Barangka, Industrial Valley, Malanday and Tumana. In Pasig City, it’s Bagong Ilog and Ugong. In Makati, it’s East Rembo, Pembo, Rizal, Comembo. In Taguig, affected areas include Bagumbayan, Upper, Central and Lower Bicutan, Maharlika Village, and Pinagsama. In Muntinlupa, it’s Alabang, Bayanan, Buli, Cupang, Poblacion, Sucat and Tunasan.
The Batasan building complex may be imperiled, as it stands only 800 meters from the West Valley Faultline. Built in 1978, three years before the National Structural Code was published, its design and construction may not have taken into account the earthquake faults in the area.
Residents of areas outside Metro Manila may do well to make inquiries from Phivolcs offices on Garcia Ave., Quezon City, or log in to www.phivolcs.dost.gov.ph.
While the devastating earthquake in the West Valley Fault is certain, when it will strike is not known. But why wait for the earthquake to come? Director Solidum emphasized the use of imagination on expected consequences of the natural disaster as vital to survival and rehabilitation and be prepared to meet them.
Imagine, he said, such scenarios occurring at earthquakes: rupture of the ground, ground shaking, liquefaction, tsunamis, fire and landslides. He showed us slides of collapsed buildings. They were not shown, but we could imagine, the chaos, confusion, fear and trembling, deaths resulting from the expected earthquake.
The operative word, according to Solidum, is “preparedness.”
Foremost is making sure one’s house, and buildings are built according to specific building requirements. One must have emergency kits ready. Rep.de Venecia showed what should go into the kit: first aid materials, water purification tablets, radio, food, tools and ropes, candles, tissue paper, important documents like passports and land titles. Solidum said when there’s an earthquake duck under a table, get out of the building and run to open spaces. If you have cell phones, don’t chat, use it for basic knowledge (to trace whereabouts of family members).
Manay Gina said information dissemination will be the order of the day for local government officials. She echoed the words of Solidum when she said, “We cannot underestimate the importance of emergency preparedness because earthquakes can strike any time. I hope that through this consultation seminar, many lives will be saved in our respective communities, when we come face-to-face with an inevitable disaster.”
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The Batasan building complex may be imperiled, as it stands only 800 meters from the West Valley Faultline. Built in 1978, three years before the National Structural Code was published, its design and construction may not have taken into account the earthquake faults in the area.
Residents of areas outside Metro Manila may do well to make inquiries from Phivolcs offices on Garcia Ave., Quezon City, or log in to www.phivolcs.dost.gov.ph.
While the devastating earthquake in the West Valley Fault is certain, when it will strike is not known. But why wait for the earthquake to come? Director Solidum emphasized the use of imagination on expected consequences of the natural disaster as vital to survival and rehabilitation and be prepared to meet them.
Imagine, he said, such scenarios occurring at earthquakes: rupture of the ground, ground shaking, liquefaction, tsunamis, fire and landslides. He showed us slides of collapsed buildings. They were not shown, but we could imagine, the chaos, confusion, fear and trembling, deaths resulting from the expected earthquake.
The operative word, according to Solidum, is “preparedness.”
Foremost is making sure one’s house, and buildings are built according to specific building requirements. One must have emergency kits ready. Rep.de Venecia showed what should go into the kit: first aid materials, water purification tablets, radio, food, tools and ropes, candles, tissue paper, important documents like passports and land titles. Solidum said when there’s an earthquake duck under a table, get out of the building and run to open spaces. If you have cell phones, don’t chat, use it for basic knowledge (to trace whereabouts of family members).
Manay Gina said information dissemination will be the order of the day for local government officials. She echoed the words of Solidum when she said, “We cannot underestimate the importance of emergency preparedness because earthquakes can strike any time. I hope that through this consultation seminar, many lives will be saved in our respective communities, when we come face-to-face with an inevitable disaster.”
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Sen.Loren Legarda calls on disaster management agencies and local government units to prepare for the Big One.
The United Nations Champion for Disaster Risk Reduction and Climate Change Adaptation for Asia-Pacific, issued the statement following the launch of the Phivolcs’ Valley Fault System Atlas, a handbook containing detailed and updated map of areas traversed by two major faults in the Greater Metro Manila Area — the East Valley Fault and West Valley Fault.
“We have to use the information in this new handbook to update earthquake risk reduction programs both in the national and local levels. We have to ensure that buildings are not standing on active faults. Evaluation and retrofitting of public and private infrastructure is crucial in ensuring that buildings, bridges and other similar structures can withstand strong quakes,” she stressed.
Legarda also emphasized the importance of an effective early warning system and massive information and education campaign to equip citizens with knowledge on what to do before, during and after such disasters.
She cited the “5 pm chime” or the “Municipal Disaster Management Radio Communication Network” of Minato City in Japan wherein at 5 o’clock in the afternoon, the instrumental version of the Japanese folk song “Yuyaku Koyake” is heard in speakers all around the city.
The daily “5 pm chime” is a way to ensure that the broadcast system and speakers are working correctly because the speaker network is used to warn people of emergency situations, especially disaster warnings, she said.
“We also need to have this kind of early warning system in the country, so that wherever people are they are informed of important announcements especially in emergency situations such as before, during and after disasters, thereby reducing risks, casualties and damages,” Legarda said.
Legarda said ensuring the structural integrity of buildings and preparedness measures for earthquakes can significantly reduce the impacts projected in the 2004 Metro Manila Earthquake Impact Reduction Study (MMEIRS), which revealed that without the necessary interventions, a 7.2-magnitude earthquake in Metro Manila could destroy 40 percent of residential buildings, damage 35 percent of all public buildings, kill 34,000 people, injure 114,000 individuals, and the ensuing fires will also result in 18,000 additional fatalities.
via - PHIL STAR
