Bomb TICKING

herehavealwaysbeenthesechillswhentheword“TheBigOne”is mentioned ItbecameaworrytosomeFilipinos,fearinghowintense will it be and how will it affect the land and its people Numerous questions like When is it happening? were thrown yet the answers were far from reach With the technology that the Philippines has, predicting earthquakes would be impossible From thousands of questions,onlyonesolutionremains;KnowledgeandPreparedness

A big one happened in Turkey and Syria in 2023 with a 78 magnitude Will the Philippines be the next? According to a study by risk assessment and consultancy firm PSA Philippines Consultancy Inc published in 2019, the Big One would produce at least 52000 deaths and 500000 injuries With that nervousness in mind the Office of Civil Defense (OCD) offered a National Simultaneous Earthquake Drill (NSED) in all parts of the country With all that is happening around the globe, this drill is precisely what the country needs, an earthquake drill every quarter for the increased alertnessandpeaceofmindofallFilipinos

Looking back at different science classes, it is without a doubt that the Philippines is prone to earthquakes Ground shaking often happens, small or big due to its location inside the Pacific Ring of Fire The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) noted about 100-150 earthquakes yearly, an average of 20 per day It is almost like living with ticking bombs that can explode tomorrow Living in a home where quakes often reside, prioritizing an earthquake drill will be helpful for the sole home of the Filipinos the Philippines Without action the bomb wouldexplodewithworseoutcomes

The quarterly earthquake drills aim to promote preparedness and resilience among Filipinos during disasters as diminutive or as immense as the Big One Everyone gains awareness from this repetitive training and Filipinos are now much more aware than 20 years before As NDRRMC executive director Undersecretary Ariel Nepomuceno said, "Preparedness always matters Let us work together to reduce the possible impacts of earthquakes We hope for the widest participation in the upcoming drill" Awareness will be the key to saving oneself and their loved one from the warnings of the Big One A deep understanding of 113 million Filipinos can protectthePearloftheOrientSeas,andanearthquakedrillmightbethekey NSED does not just train Filipinos about Duck cover and hold It also evaluates homes, roads, and the location of the fault lines “I just want to remind everyone that earthquakes per se do not kill The collapse of humanbuilt structures such as buildings, retaining walls, and dams may claim lives

So we have to ensure that building codes are strictly followed said the PHIVOLCS officer-in-charge Teresito Bacolcol Double-checking infrastructures limits the aftermath of the disaster and reduces the cost needed for repairs Not only that, but planning, double-checking, and evaluating save lives not only yours but also for those who will coincidentally passbyyourhomesduringadisaster

It is without a doubt that National Earthquake Drills help Filipinos in every way to alleviate the damage of a quake, yet practicing in an open area, especially under the hot sun influences people to faint or lose consciousness for lots of people gather under the heat to practice for an unexpected disaster One hundred twenty students were hospitalized due to the hot weather,andonesufferedfromapanicattack One solution is to schedule a time and day when the heat will not cause discomfort to citizens, especially children That way, Filipinos could successfully partake in an earthquake drill where distress from the weatherwouldnotdistractlearning

National Earthquake Drills attempts to locate any holes and suggest necessary improvements to the current earthquake response plans, rules, and processes However such efforts would only be successful with the cooperation of the citizens Every lesson during the drill should be kept in mind as this small information can save everyone on the day the Big One appears “We call on everyone to join the drill once again as part of our effort to reinforce earthquake preparedness Earthquakes can happen anytime without warning and sometimes they can be as devastating as what happened in Türkiye," Nepomuceno added Let this be a lesson that everyoneʼscooperationisneededtomitigateastrongopponent

One shouldnt be complacent about disasters that often hit the Philippines because no good outcome is achieved without proper preparedness As Bacolcol said, “Everyone must prepare and must be involved ThatisnotonlythebusinessofPHIVOLCS

Itʼseveryoneʼsdutyto prepare Every effort of each Filipino matters especially on this ticking bomb,theBigOne