The Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) on Wednesday urged local government units (LGUs) to update their disaster preparedness plans.
This came after the magnitude 6.9 earthquake that jolted Cebu last Sept. 30 and the magnitude 7.4 earthquake that rocked Davao Oriental last Oct. 10.
‘LGUs are directed to update disaster plans, activate Emergency Operations Centers and Incident Management Teams, and ensure the readiness of evacuation centers,’ the DILG said in a statement. ‘Structural assessments of public and private buildings must be prioritized, especially in quake-affected areas,’ it added.
The department further appealed to LGUs to conduct information drives and preparedness drills as well as to coordinate with their respective regional and municipal disaster risk reduction and management councils and the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs).
Further, the DILG instructed LGUs to ensure their areas had clear evacuation routes, visible signages and designated safe zones. For its part, the Philippine National Police-an attached agency of the DILG-said it was also reviewing its own protocols in responding to natural hazards.
‘The PNP fully supports calls to strengthen earthquake preparedness across all levels of government,’ Acting Chief Lt. Gen. Jose Melencio Nartatez Jr. said in a statement earlier on Wednesday.
‘We are currently enhancing our disaster response protocols and ensuring that all police units are equipped and ready to assist in search, rescue, and relief operations when needed,’ the top cop added. PNP audits equipment
In a separate statement also on Wednesday, the PNP said Nartatez also ordered a comprehensive audit of the law enforcement agency’s assets and equipment to ensure its disaster preparedness.
‘Our goal is to make sure that every PNP unit, from the national headquarters down to the smallest station, can respond quickly and confidently,’ the agency’s public information chief Brig. Gen. Randulf Tuaño said in the statement.
According to the PNP, it currently had a total of 74,360 search-and-rescue toolboxes; 2,619 shovels; 1,644 axes; 1,557 pick mattocks; 1,288 sledge hammers; 1,219 crowbars; and 1,003 50-meter rescue ropes.
The agency further noted that it had 12,812 life vests; 1,469 first aid kits; and 1,019 spineboards as well as 3,500 kerosene lanterns and 884 LED flashlights.
It added that the PNP currently had eight rotary-wing helicopters and one fixed-wing airplane. Moreover, the PNP said it recently procured 4,989 enhanced combat helmets; 3,711 all-purpose vests; 403 auto-gated night vision monoculars; 400 light motorcycles; 383 4×4 personnel carriers; 322 unmanned aerial vehicles; 225 light transport vehicles; 32 heavy motorcycles and four laser scanners.