During quakes, stay alive in places of the dead

MANILA, Philippines – The places of the dead can save hundreds of lives during an earthquake, an official of the Office of Civil Defense (OCD) said yesterday.

Susan Cruz, OCD director, said among the safest places to go in case of an earthquake are cemeteries and memorial parks since these are open spaces and are located mostly on higher ground.

Cruz told reporters during a news forum in Quezon City that a disaster management study conducted in 2002 showed that a 7.2 magnitude earthquake will kill 140,000 people in the metropolis, topple buildings, destroy roads and bridges and cut communication lines.

She said the casualty estimate was based on the nine million population of Metro Manila at the time, and with the higher population now, the casualty rate will surely be a lot higher.

A worst-case scenario during an earthquake, which Cruz said is not a remote possibility given the nearness of Metro Manila to the Marikina fault line, is the isolation of thousands of people and the occurrence of a tidal wave.

Fire outbreaks are also expected during major earthquakes and in such cases, at least 30,000 people trapped in collapsed buildings will die, she said.

In the same forum, Rey Tagudando, Department of Public Works and Highways director for the National Capital Region, said they are conducting regular assessment of buildings to ensure their structural soundness in the event of an earthquake.

Aside from earthquakes, the OCD is also anticipating other natural calamities such as typhoons and floods in the coming months.