Following the announcement of the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council’s (NDRRMC) on the 4th quarter National Earthquake Drill (NSED), San Juan City, headed by Mayor Francis Zamora, has been selected by the Philippine Navy as its partner for the said exercise today at the San Juan City Hall Open Grounds.
“We are very grateful to the Philippine Navy and Marines for partnering with us in this exercise. Our country is located right in the Pacific “Ring of Fire,” this means we experience frequent earthquakes which makes drills like this necessary to ensure that cities like San Juan are well- prepared for any unfortunate event,” said Mayor Zamora.
The full-scale practice would involve the alarm phase “duck, cover, and hold” and evacuation of employees from the city hall, followed by the establishment of the Incident Command Post, triage/treatment area, staging area, and conduct of rapid damage assessment. Different barangays will then bring their injured victims to the triage area.
A team of rescuers will rappel down a building while a Philippine Navy Helicopter will land to provide assistance and air medical evacuation to critical victims to a field hospital, which will be the highlight of the drill. Other members of the Navy will provide manpower to support the local emergency teams.
“This drill will not only help us assess our disaster preparedness and see where we are lacking, but also an opportunity for us to learn from the experts to save lives,” Zamora declared.