CDRRMC to schoolchildren: learn the duck, cover and hold technique during earthquake drills

By Rutchie C. Aguhob

Thursday 28th of June 2012

OZAMIZ CITY, Misamis Occidental, June 28 (PIA) -- Participants of the earthquake drill must not only learn the “duck, cover and hold technique,” but master this, to prepare for any eventuality of disasters or emergencies.

“This is exactly why the conduct of earthquake drills in schools is done on a quarterly basis, because we want the schoolchildren to know what to do, in the event that an earthquake occur during classes,” said Mark Vincent C. Israel, officer-in charge of the City Disaster Risk Reduction Management Council (CDRRMC).

He said the first earthquake drill for the elementary and secondary pupils for the school year 2012-2013 will take place this Friday, June 29.

The drill aims to generate the highest level of awareness among the drill participants on disaster risk reduction/climate change adaptation concerns and assess the capacity level of the school to respond to such concerns.

Particularly, the drill would want to assess the response of the drill participants the moment they hear the siren and whether they know how to practice of the duck, cover and hold technique, during the alarm phase of the drill.

Among others, the drill also wants to come up with an assessment of the following: whether the participants evacuated during the alarm phase or if they waited for the siren to stop before evacuating; whether they followed the designated routes to the evacuation area or if they run, walked casually or walked faster than normal during the evacuation phase, and brought with them any first aid kits; and whether they conducted a headcount during the headcount phase.

Israel said the drill also wants to find out how long did it take the drill participants to evacuate the building and reach the evacuation area, or if the evacuation area was big enough to accommodate the evacuees.

Also to be assessed is whether the drill participants stayed at the evacuation area, moved to other places, or went back to the building without instruction, and whether there was an untoward incident observed during the drill.

These assessments will be made as inputs for the next drills to be conducted in the future, so that the disaster risks can be reduced to prevent the loss of lives and properties during disasters, Israel added. (PIA-Mis. Occ.)