EVACUATION CAMPS IN PREPARATION FOR THE BIG ONE

In preparation for the possible movement of the Valley Fault System that may jolt the Greater Metro Manila Area (GMMA) within this lifetime, the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) has identified evacuation camps and centers across the metropolis.

Metro Manila is divided into four quadrants for better evacuation and rescue operations among residents. Operation centers and staging areas that will serve as evacuation camps are also pointed out in the contingency plan of MMDA.

Athletic fields, memorial parks, sports arenas, churches and gymnasiums of Local Government Units (LGU’s) will also be used as evacuation centers in the Metro Manila and nearby cities and provinces. Pasig River will also serve as an alternate route for rescue and relief personnel in the event that bridges in the capital city are destroyed by the huge quake.

The earthquake, projected in having a 7.2 magnitude may collapse 500,000 houses and damage over 300 buildings. According to studies done by PHIVOLCS and other agencies, the West Valley Fault’s 100-kilometer length traverses through Rizal, Marikina, Quezon City, Pasig, Makati, Taguig, Muntinlupa and Laguna. Moreover, 35% of the population inhabiting the said areas lives right above this fault line.

Though predictions are alarming, they do not aim to cause panic. The warnings are meant to properly prepare the public in case the earthquake occurs. Though no machine can predict when this hazard will strike, in this lifetime or in the next, it’s still best to be ready than not, because the human cost of this quake is far too heavy to ignore.