Simultaneous ‘duck, cover and hold’ – Bulakenyos to lead the Nationwide Simultaneous Earthquake Drill

CITY OF MALOLOS – In one with the millions of Bulakenyos, the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) through the RDRRMC in cooperation with Bulacan PDRRMC and all local DRRMCs will lead the 4th Quarter Nationwide Simultaneous Earthquake Drill (NSED) in the City of San Jose Del Monte, Bulacan on December 15, 2017 at exactly 2 pm.

The drill aims to gauge the capabilities and importance of the plans and systems of preparedness and response to earthquake, as well as the coordination and communication being implemented in times of the rescue operations.

Meanwhile, in the City of San Jose Del Monte, the chosen site to hold the ‘earthquake drill’, a one minute siren will be heard at exactly 2 pm as a sign that the earthquake hit the province wherein there will be 17 scenarios that will test the skills in emergency response particularly in rescue operations in the pre-identified affected areas including the new Government Center in Barangay Dulong Bayan, Convenience Store, Sapang Palay National High School among others.

Everyone on the site is expected to ‘duck, cover and hold’ within the one minute shaking period which will be followed by evacuation and response of the incident command system and all the sectors of the society from individuals, families to barangays and cities at the provincial and national level.

Using the #BidaAngHanda, Bulakenyos anywhere in the world can show their participation by posting and uploading their photos on their respective social media accounts while doing ‘duck, cover and hold’.

Prior to this, some activities that were conducted as part of the preparations for the said drill were a meeting held last December 4 at Cong. Rida Robes’s Office in Brgy. Tungkong Mangga, City of San Jose Del Monte together with some partner agencies to discuss the communication plans of the activity; Table Top Exercise held last December 7 at Malolos Resort Club Royale in this city wherein the scenarios that will take place during the drill were discussed and a Walk Through last December 13 at the Productivity Center in City of San Jose Del Monte.

Meanwhile, Gov. Wilhelmino M. Sy-Alvarado urges all the Bulakenyos to participate in the said ‘earthquake drill’ to be well informed of what to do when the big earthquake happens.

“Kaisa po tayo ng bansa sa marubdob na paghahanda sa gawaing ito kabilang na ang pagbababa ng mahahalagang impormasyon sa pamamagitan ng malawakang information drive at patuloy na pagsasagawa ng mga pagsasanay ukol sa disaster preparedness, prevention at recovery exercises, at mga earthquake at dam break drills,” the governor said.

Among the other partner agencies are C/MPIO, Bulacan Rescue, C/M Rescue Teams, Philippine Information Agency, Provincial Public Affairs Office, Provincial Information and Technology Office, Provincial Veterinary Office, non-government organizations and other government agencies.

The PHIVOLCS continues to give advisories that anytime a 7.2 magnitude earthquake could happen in some parts of Luzon because of the movement of the West Valley Fault’ (WVF) that also transcends in Bulacan.