WV readies for earthquake drill on June 20
Select schools in the region will undergo an earthquake drill on Tuesday, June 20, to test the awareness and preparedness of schools during the occurrence of earthquakes.
The drill which will be supervised by Regional Disaster Coordinating Council (RDCC) will simultaneously start at 9:00 a.m.
Schools identified for the conduct of the earthquake drill in Western Visayas include the Kalibo Pilot Elementary School and the Garcia College of Technology in Aklan; Polytechnic State College of Antique, Saint Anthony's College and the Antique National College in Antique; Capiz State University, Filamer Christian College, St. Mary's Academy of Capiz and the President Manuel Roxas Memorial School in Capiz; Educational Training Center School 2 and Bacolod Christian Center School in Bacolod City; Iloilo National High School, for Iloilo Province and the Iloilo City National High School and the Western Institute of Technology in Iloilo City; and the Visayan Maritime Academy, Pontevedra National High School, Don Ramon Torres Memorial High School and the Distelleria Bago Incorporated for Negros Occidental.
The conduct of the earthquake drill is nationwide as per the instruction of President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo to all RDCCs in the country.
The earthquake drill, which is in coordination with the Department of Education, aims to test the awareness and preparedness of the school administrators, supervisors and the school populace of the guidelines set on what to do during earthquakes.
The drill is also meant to test the effectiveness of the guidelines as a tool in earthquake drills in schools.
The RDCC is tasked with organizing and planning the mechanics for the conduct of the drill, which include identifying a school with appropriate evacuation facility for media documentation.
The conduct of an earthquake drill is different from that of a fire drill. The sound of siren or bell indicates that a strong shaking is on-going and the level of ground shaking prevent people to stand and move around.
The conduct of an earthquake drill requires planning and designing of evacuation procedure, as well as orienting teachers and ultimately students on how to do the earthquake drill. These drills are simple and easy to do.
(PIA 6/ESS)