People should be alerted on possible earthquake

For some reason or other, natural disasters seem to be occurring all over the world. A hurricane destroyed the entire city of New Orleans and in South Asia an earthquake took place that historically was the worst disaster the area ever suffered. We believe that the country should brace itself for two possible natural disasters – typhoons and earthquakes. Metro Manila, for instance, has not had either for sometime. It would be good if the authorities took time to instruct the people as to what exactly to do in the event that either of the two or both happen in the near future. The best policy is to always hope for the best, but be ever prepared for the worst.

Director Renato Solidum of the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology has stated that Metro Manila is now under threat of major temblors because many fault lines are very close to the metropolis. A group of structural engineers have declared that over 50 percent of Metro Manila’s 1.3 buildings do not comply with the recent stringent building requirements particularly with the seismic standards that would allow them to withstand strong earth movements. Jorge P. Geneta, president of the Association of Structural Engineers of the Philippines, Inc. has said that their non-compliance does not automatically mean that those structures are susceptible to heavy damage or total collapse in the event of a strong quake. All buildings, he said, have undergone proper design and construction process when they were constructed. The problem is that we regularly upgrade our building codes so much so that many old buildings may no longer be in conformity with present compliance specially when it comes to seismic design.

Public Works and Highways Undersecretary Salvador Pleyto has organized a multi-sectoral task force that will inspect all of Metro Manila’s public buildings to see what steps can be taken to minimize possible earthquake damage. By the third week of this month about 100 DPWH engineers and 500 volunteers will begin inspecting edifices in Metro Manila, meaning the malls, churches, schools, cinemas and hospitals.

According to a study made by PIVS, 180,000 buildings or about 13 percent of the edifices in Metro Manila will collapse or be seriously damaged if a 7.2 intensity earthquake emanating from the West Valley Fault System should happen. About 350,000 or 26 percent of the rest of the buildings will have moderate damage.

The good thing is that our building codes are getting more and more stringent. The older buildings, however, can still withstand the shock. It all will depend on the location of the building and the epicenter of the earthquake. Ironically, a shallow quake causes more swaying than deeper ones. This means heavier damage.

The LGU has no authority to order the demolition of any edifice that is found to be structurally deficient. But they will coordinate working with building owners that have structures that have to be refitted or strengthened. An ounce of prevention is worth a ton of cure.