THE City Government of Zamboanga manifested its firm commitment to disaster preparedness, as it participated in the first quarter Nationwide Simultaneous Earthquake Drill (NSED) on Thursday, February 15.

Mayor Maria Isabelle Climaco-Salazar personally led employees and clients in City Hall in participating in the exercise executing the drop, cover and hold protocol, the appropriate response to the first sign of an earthquake.

The drill started with the blaring of the City Hall siren at exactly 2 p.m. with four participating venues: City Hall, the government complex in Pettit Barracks, the government building in Villalobos Street and the Zamboanga City State Polytechnic College (ZCSPC).

The ZCSPC located in the village of Baliwasan was the pilot school for the NSED.

The NSED was aimed to ensure widest dissemination of earthquake information as well as to test the efficiency and usefulness of the preparedness, response and recovery plans, systems and policies developed in respective localities and offices.

Locally, the NSED was organized by the City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council.