Quake alarms, rain gauges in city

ILOILO City’s disaster preparedness efforts have found their way to the grassroots.

The City Disaster Risk Reduction Management Office (CDRRMO) has started preparations for the installation of P-alert system and rain gauges in 20 locations in the metro.

They met recently with punong barangays, heads of Lapaz Maternity Health Clinic, Iloilo City Police Office (ICPO), and city Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) to explore collaboration in hosting the early warning devices.

The team also visited possible sites for the installation of warning equipment.

Taiwan technology-developed P-alert is an advanced earthquake P wave alarm detector system which has been proven successful and is now supported by Taiwanese Government.

“It is designed to reduce earthquake damage by providing as much warning as possible at an affordable cost. P-alert only requires three seconds once a P-wave is detected to issue an alarm if it calculates that the following shockwave is likely to be of a significant level to cause damage,” the supplier said in its website.

CDRRMO head Donna P. Magno said all these efforts are part of decision-making platform to strengthen disaster risk management under the National Resilience Council (NRC) Program, of which Iloilo City is a pilot site.

Meanwhile, CDRRMO team is going around the city’s ports and terminals to post in conspicuous places the emergency hotline numbers of CDRRMO, Iloilo City Emergency Responders (ICER), district police stations, fire stations, hospitals, Red Cross and Public Safety and Transportation Management Office (PSTMO).

This effort aims to inform the public on the numbers they can easily access during emergencies.

CDRRMO has also brought KABALAKA Gallery School Caravan to Alumni Building of University of San Agustin this week.

The informative and interactive learning initiative on disaster preparedness has embarked on weekly school tours in an effort to bring advocacy closer to children and youth.

A Hiligaynon term for care or concern, KABALAKA stands for KAhublagan sa BArangay para sa LApnagon nga KAhandaan sa Kalamidad or Movement for Community-Based Disaster Preparedness.

“We intend to reach as many students as possible as it moves from one school to another, influencing one student at a time, and developing the culture of safety and resilience,” said Magno. (PIO)