Davao schools join nationwide earthquake drill
Davao City (20 June) — Students of two high schools (public and private) in Davao City will join other students nationwide in an earthquake drill today to determine how systematic and orderly will they be when real earthquake occurs.
Speaking before the Kapehan sa Dabaw at SM City yesterday. Regional Director Carmelito Lupo of the Office of Civil Defense said the alertness of students in Ateneo de Davao University (high school department at Matina Campus) and the Davao City National High School (DCNHS) will be put to test during the earthquake drill on Tuesday (June 20).
Ateneo has about 2,000 high school students while the DCNHS has a student population of 8,000 they will all be part of the drill including those occupying the buildings of the two pilot schools including their staff, he said.
He said it has been a requirement to all schools that they must come up with plan in case of disaster such as earthquake.
He however said that today’s activity will only be focused on the evacuation exercise and none on rescue and first aid even as he said that fire most likely occurs during earthquakes and can cause harm to humans especially when buildings collapse.
Ideally he said the drill must be done every three months but activity per semester is better if nothing is done at all.
Lupo also said that prior to the holding of the nationwide drill, the model schools already had made their own individual mock drill and students were also briefed on what to do which is part of their disaster preparedness plan.
He said members of the Regional Disaster Coordinating Council will be present during the drill to observe and monitor and will meet immediately after drill to discuss their observation and come up with recommendations when there are areas that need to be improved.
There will also be pilot schools that will undertake the nationwide earthquake drill today in selected schools in the different provinces of Davao del Norte, Davao del Sur, Davao Oriental, Compostela Valley Province, Island Garden City of Samal and the cities of Tagum, Digos, and Panabo.
Lupo also announced that earthquake drills would be done in all government offices nationwide in July.
Lupo meanwhile urged local governments units in the region’s different cities and municipalities to come with an inventory of dilapidated buildings as these pose hazard to public especially in occurrence of disaster like earthquake. (PIA/pdbanzon)
