Smart bells ring in Surigao tsunami drill

A warning bell recently sounded in the coastal barangay of Diatagon in Lianga, Surigao del Sur. It was the signal for some 2,000 residents participating in a tsunami drill to leave their homes and evacuate to the Diatagon Elementary School.

The drill was part of a tsunami-preparedness activity conducted by the Philippine Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) in coordination with the Office of Civil Defense (OCD), Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA), Mines and Geo-Sciences Bureau (MGB), National Mapping and Resource Information Authority (NAMRIA), National Disaster Coordinating Council (NDCC), Provincial Disaster Coordinating Council (PDCC), Municipal Coordinating Council (MDC) and the provincial government.

"I am very happy that Diatagon was chosen for inclusion in Project Ready," said Barangay chairman Fernando Edwin Balili Jr.

Project Ready is a disaster-preparedness initiative that seeks to prepare high-risk provinces in the untimely event of a calamity, natural disaster and other emergencies.

In support of the project, Smart Communications, Inc. (Smart) donated 100 units of batingaw or early warning devices fashioned out of recycled acetylene tanks.