PREVENTION is still better than cure. When it comes to natural disasters, prevention is better than losing lives. That's why our Central 911 has been conducting numerous earthquake drills the past days to prepare Dabawenyos for incidents that may occur.
Last June 29, Davao City participated in the nationwide earthquake drill. It took weeks of preparation to organize it, convincing everyone to join as the city practices a scenario where everyone is affected. And as we saw it, traffic jams all over the city happened.
All major routes were blocked because of the enactment which led to motorists and passengers (who have errands to attend) getting stuck on the road with little to no movement at all. And as expected, some were not very glad with the authorities conducting city-wide drills every so often.
But as explained, heavy traffic is part of the exercise. We don't know when a disaster would hit as well as its magnitude and how many barangays will be affected.
“Earthquake is different from other natural calamities. It hits communities without warning,” said Director Vicente Tomazar, a consultant from the national office of Office of the Civil Defense.
Traffic jams are bound to happen. In fact, a heavy traffic flow is only one among the problems we might face when an earthquake strikes. So, as we have another earthquake drill today at 9 a.m., and you are caught in a traffic, do what you need to do as if there's really an earthquake happening. Duck, cover, and hold. Most importantly, know where the evacuation sites are.
Let's share the responsibility of the rescue officers to save everyone as we learn how to save ourselves. Mitigation measures can reduce the scale of devastation.