If and when the “Big One” strikes, only about 30 percent of the rescue personnel of the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) may actually be able to respond since the rest are likely to become earthquake victims themselves.
Hence the need to train more volunteers, of whom the MMDA apparently has plenty.
Based on online registrations that peaked during Thursday’s Metro-wide “Shake Drill,” around 1.2 million people want to help and be called to action once the scenarios played out during the July 30 exercise happen for real, according to MMDA Chair Francis Tolentino.
The number was based on those who signed up through bepreparedmetromanila.com., a website put up by the MMDA to provide vital information on earthquake preparedness and disaster response.
On MMDA’s weekly radio program on Sunday, Tolentino said that based on the agency’s assessment of last week’s drill, the level of Metro Manila residents’ preparedness rose to 7 in a scale of 10, from a pre-drill level of only 5.5.
Meanwhile, MMDA General Manager Cora Jimenez reported that out of 8,000 who registered as volunteers prior to the drill, only about 4,500 had been properly trained.
“On Aug. 5, we will resume the training of the volunteers who registered online and personally went to the MMDA headquarters to sign up,” Jimenez said, adding that training schedules had already been booked up to September.
The agency’s 3-day crash course on emergency response seeks to build an augmentation force for the 6,000 MMDA rescuers and about 1,000 more from the 17 local government units making up the capital.
According to MMDA Rescue Batallion head Mon Santiago, only about 30 percent of the MMDA’s rescue group may actually be mobilized for a massive disaster since the rest could fall victim themselves.
“As an organized group, the number of MMDA personnel which will respond to an emergency situation like an earthquake is expected to be low. So it is better if more people will learn how to respond to emergencies,” Santiago said.