6,000 take part in Legazpi City drill

LEGAZPI CITY, Philippines—Amy Daet, 49, was gasping for breath as she scrambled to board a military truck early morning on Wednesday, along with other residents of Bitano, a coastal barangay in Legazpi City.

Daet and her neighbors were being herded to safety by city and disaster response personnel at 6:30 a.m., after the high-pitched sound of a siren pierced the air, warning residents that a “tsunami” was approaching.

Except that there was no tsunami. And it was stage-managed chaos.

The evacuation was part of a multihazard drill, the first undertaken by the city government and its Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council, in five barangays to respond to disasters triggered by a tsunami, an earthquake and a big fire and resulting casualties.

“I was conscious and nervous but thankfully, I think I did well,” Daet said as she rubbed her legs.

She was proud that despite cramps in her legs, she still managed to hop into the military vehicle that brought them to their designated evacuation center.

“I was amazed how I managed to evacuate from the danger area and safely arrived at the evacuation center. This is a memorable experience I will treasure,” she told the Inquirer. She said she felt she was fleeing a real tsunami.

Mayor Noel Rosal said the drill lasted two hours and was joined by around 6,000 residents from the villages Bitano, Victory Village, Sabang, Pigcale and San Roque.

Using trucks and other vehicles owned by the military, police and private individuals, people were ferried to six evacuation centers.

For Bitano village chief Joel Balinis, the drill was a success as participants appeared they were running for their lives.