‘Shake Drill’ rocks Bulacan, Laguna Sept. 8

After the Metro Manila “Shake Drill” on July 30, emergency  response exercises simulating a magnitude 7.2 earthquake scenario will also be held in nearby provinces that lie in the path of the 100-kilometer West Valley Fault.

The Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) on Wednesday announced that simultaneous drills will be held in Norzagaray and San Jose del Monte in Bulacan province; and San Pedro, Biñan, Calamba and Cabuyao in Laguna province on Sept. 8.

Like how it was done in the capital, the provincial activities will start at 10:30 a.m. and run for an hour, and test how rescue teams can respond to these kinds of situation like collapsed buildings, big fires and people trapped inside homes and vehicles.

“Participants are instructed to perform the  ‘duck, cover and hold’ technique. They will then be evacuated to designated areas,” said MMDA Chair Francis Tolentino.

Based on the map released in May by the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs), the West Valley Fault traverses several cities in Metro Manila (Quezon City, Marikina, Pasig, Makati, Parañaque, Taguig) and also parts of Bulacan (Doña Remedios Trinidad, Norzagaray, San Jose Del Monte City),  Laguna (San Pedro City, Biñan, Sta Rosa, Cabuyao, Calamba), Cavite (Carmona, General Mariano Alvarez, Silang) and Rodriguez, Rizal.

Phivolcs also identified 72 barangays (villages) in the capital that are located above the fault line.

The MMDA earlier said up to 1.2 million volunteers signed up to become part of rescue teams and emergency responders after the July 30 Shake Drill.–Maricar B. Brizuela