OCD head wants quake preparedness measures intensified

MANILA, Philippines — Office of Civil Defense (OCD) administrator Ariel Nepomuceno has directed civil defense officials to intensify earthquake preparedness measures following the magnitude 6.8 earthquake that struck areas of Davao region, Soccsksargen and other parts of Mindanao.

In a memorandum, Nepomuceno ordered all regional directors to immediately boost campaigns on earthquake preparations. This includes engaging with local government units, partners from the private sector and other relevant stakeholders on information dissemination.

Regional directors must also conduct regular meetings centered on earthquake preparedness, the memorandum read.

Aside from this, the OCD chief said regional directors must support and enhance the Nationwide Simultaneous Earthquake Drill and look at other scenarios, such as but not limited to the following: earthquakes occurring during evening hours; contingency plans for telecommunications outages, including alternative emergency communication methods; utilization and testing of alternative command and control centers, as well as leadership succession plans to ensure public service continuity; and testing of collaboration strategies such as the pairing/twinning concept of regions.