We must be typhoon and earthquake alert

We can predict. Unfortunately, we can't predict earthquakes the way we do typhoons. But Renato Solidum, director of the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology is doing well in warning the nation that an earthquake with a magnitude of 7.2 in the Richter scale is overdue and could therefore strike the country anytime and affect no less than 30 percent of all homes and residential buildings in Metro Manila.

In the last four centuries, 90 strong quakes have hit the country, which means that we have been getting one major earthquake every four to five years. An earthquake is a convulsion of the superficial parts of the earth due to the release of accumulated stress as a result of faults in straits or volcanic action. The Philippines is part of the so-called Pacific Ring of Fire, an area of frequent earthquakes and volcanic eruptions surrounding the Pacific Ocean basin. Worldwide there are 8,000 earthquakes every year but only about a hundred or less than 2 percent are strong enough to be felt. Last month, an earthquake struck Indonesia leaving 3,000 dead. A similar earthquake could happen here and soon. We cannot do anything to prevent earthquakes. In fact, we can't even say when they will strike. But we can be prepared for their eventuality and take proper measures to insure safety and minimize the damage they do to property. A magnitude 7 earthquake hitting in or just near Metro Manila could mean that at least 30,000 persons could die and hundreds of thousands would be injured. We don’t know how our high-rise buildings will fare. If they were constructed on earthquake faults, they should have floating foundations. We can assume that hundreds of buildings will collapse and the people will have no power and water, a communication disruption, scarcity of food, systems failures and hopefully no anarchy or riots.

There is something every citizen can contribute in the event of an earthquake and that is to be prepared for such a disaster. We believe that every home and building, especially the high-rise ones, should have regular earthquake drills. Ninety-eight percent of fatal casualties during earthquakes happen inside homes and buildings. So the most important thing is for their occupants to know the nearest and safest exits. Avoid using the elevators or stairs. They are the most dangerous places. The safest place is under a strong table.

In China, two communities experienced the same earthquake in 1976. One was Qinlong County; the other was Great Tang Shan. They were warned by seismologists that there was the probability that an earthquake could hit their areas. Qinlong immediately responded by summoning its leaders to inform the people of all the preventive measures they could take. No one died or was even wounded. Great Tang Shan ignored the warning totally. Great Tang Shan was a city with a million people. Seven hundred fifty thousand or three fourths of the population died in the earthquake.

Typhoon and earthquake preparedness should be part of the education of every Filipino.