THE local government of San Carlos City was chosen by the Office of Civil Defense (OCD)- Western Visayas as the pilot area for the 2020 National Simultaneous Earthquake Drill (NSED) on March 12.

San Carlos City Mayor Renato Y. Gustilo called a meeting among various local department heads on Friday, March 6 to brief them of the said event.

He said that although the city is so blessed that it remained unruffled during several calamities experienced by other areas in the country and even in the nearby city of Guihulngan during the big quake that hit it in 2012, the LGU should not be complacent since the city also has its own fault lines that might be triggered anytime.

He cited that the said drill will test the capacity of the city to handle calamity and urged everybody to coordinate for a smooth and proper execution of the exercise.

OCD-Western Visayas Capacity Building Section Chief Melissa P. Banias said that they will showcase San Carlos City as the pilot area for NSED since the city’s Local Disaster Risk Reduction Management Office (LDRRMO) headed by Joe Recalex Alingasa is already prepared for the event with its equipment capabilities and manpower training especially on incident management.

Banias added that OCD and other LGU representatives will be present on said event to observe how San Carlos City will implement its disaster preparedness.

The said drill will also involve the two local schools Julio Ledesma National High School and Colegio de Sto. Tomas-Recoletos. (PR)