Mobile house offers feel of major quake

A mobile earthquake house mounted on a truck will tour areas along the West Valley Fault and invite residents to get inside and feel what it is like to be caught in a major temblor likely to hit the national capital region and surrounding provinces and kill thousands of residents.

The mobile earthquake house will set out beginning this week for the visit to 72 barangays (villages) in a 100-kilometer danger zone outlined on a map released by the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) where a 7.8-magnitude quake could occur, according to the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA).

Such a powerful temblor strikes once in a couple of centuries and the big one may be up and coming, the commission said last week.

A 2013 study said that an earthquake of that magnitude could leave 37,000 people dead, cause 140,000 serious injuries and an economic loss of P2.5 trillion in an 11-million-square-meter area.

On his weekly radio program on Sunday, MMDA Chair Francis Tolentino said his team would ask residents along the fault line to experience a major temblor and learn how to cope with it.

72 barangays

“We will meet with the barangay officials of the 72 identified villages near the fault line,” he said. Experiencing a 7.2- or 7.8-magnitude earthquake is really important to make people alert on what should be done during an actual quake, he said.

When school returns next month, the agency will dispatch a team to schools in Metro Manila to promote quake awareness among students.

The earthquake house measures 3 x 3.6 meters and can accommodate up to 10 people. It will be loaded on the back of a flatbed truck, which will transport it to the barangays above the fault line. Inside, a mechanism can be switched on for an earthquake mode ranging in magnitude anywhere from 4 to 8. The house is equipped with a computer that shows the intensity of the rattling.

Shake, rattle, learn

In February 2013, the MMDA unveiled its earthquake simulator at its headquarters in Makati City to aid its rescue personnel and educate the public, especially students, about earthquakes and their effects.

Dubbed “shake, rattle and learn house”—similar to one in Phivolcs—it is hydraulically operated and resembles a bungalow. It has a living room and a classroom-like setup.

“Earthquake simulation teaches safe personal behavior and practice in case of an earthquake. This is a learning tool against the perils of earthquakes by providing a scenario to practice protective procedures,” Tolentino said.

Since its launch, the earthquake house has drawn students as part of their educational tours.

Aside from the areas above and near the West Valley Fault, provinces near Metro Manila like Bulacan and Laguna should also be prepared for a temblor since they are just minutes away from the metropolis, according to Tolentino.

The MMDA also has proposed a Metro-wide drill that will simulate the effects of a 7.2-magnitude quake. It is drafting an executive order for Malacañang’s approval for the drill from 3 to 8 p.m. to cope with possible effects of a megaquake, including shutdown of power and telecommunication lines and traffic on the streets.

Practice needed

“Restoring order after that possible disaster could take time, especially if all traffic lights will not function. It could take us more than five hours to fix all of them,” Tolentino said, adding that the public should “practice” what should be done in this case.

Phivolcs’s Valley Fault System Atlas contains detailed maps of the areas at risk—the East Valley Fault, which runs through Rizal province, and the West Valley Fault, which spans Bulacan, Rizal, Metro Manila, Cavite and Laguna provinces.

The atlas also identifies the 72 barangays in the cities of Pasig, Quezon City, Marikina, Makati, Taguig and Muntinlupa that sit on the fault line.–With a report from Ariana Michaela Lopez