By Susan De Leon
QUEZON CITY, Nov. 30 (PIA) -- Quezon City will simulate new disaster scenarios in the 4th quarter Nationwide Simultaneous Earthquake Drill (NSED) to be held on December 15.
“We will add new scenarios to test and also showcase the new equipment acquired by the Quezon City government to level up its emergency response capabilities,” said Karl Michael Marasigan, chief of the Quezon City Disaster Risk Reduction Management Office (DRRMO).
City Administrator Aldrin Cuna on Tuesday convened an emergency meeting of the technical working group of the city’s DRRM Council to discuss the city government’s participation in the NSED.
The drill in Quezon City will be centered at the sprawling Quezon City Hall compound. Barangays, schools and commercial establishments all over the city will also hold drills in their respective areas.
“The 4th quarter NSED will have added challenges especially in Metro Manila and other urban areas as it will be held on a pay-day Friday and we’re expecting vehicular and pedestrian traffic to be extra heavy as it will officially be Christmas season by the time,” Marasigan said.
It will also be doubly challenging for us at City Hall as we need to re-write our evacuation plans due to ongoing major construction works within the compound,” he added.
The QC DRRMO will simulate mass evacuation of city hall’s buildings, including its 15-story high-rise structure; fire suppression, high-angle rescue, collapsed structure search and rescue, evacuation camp management and management of the dead.
The QC DRRMO also plans to add road crash extrication and water search and rescue in the simulaton exercises.
Quezon City is a recipient of the Gawad Kalasag award for having the best DRRM council in Metro Manila in 2016 and 2017. The city placed third in last year’s national search and is again vying for top honors this year. (QC PAISO/RJB/SDL/PIA-NCR)