Clark serves as operations center in earthquake drill

CLARK AIR BASE — When a 7.2-magnitude earthquake hits Metro Manila, it is likely that businesses will be paralyzed and communication lines will be cut off. It will also affect the operations of national government.

At the first nationwide earthquake drill for the year led by the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council, the Air Force City in Clark Air Base was established as an alternate operations center.

“This center serves as our fallback position considering that the NDRRMC operations center in Camp Aguinaldo has been incapacitated by the earthquake,” NDRRMC Chairman and Defense Secretary Voltaire Gazmin said at the nationwide drill on Thursday.

Simulations of rescue and retrieval operations, relief operations, evacuations and communications were included in the drill.

NDRRMC Executive Director Alexander Pama said that Clark Air Base was chosen because during the Intensity 7 quake in 1992, the former US military base suffered no damage.

“That’s why in our quake drill here, this served as our command and control center,” he said.

The Office of Civil Defense led the earthquake drills in their respective pilot areas. About 22,000 people from 18 regions were estimated to have participated in the drills.

“We are now aware of the areas where we need improvements. We must be more proactive and act before a disaster strikes, in order to minimize if not prevent the loss of precious lives and damage to properties, Gazmin said