THE Davao City Risk Reduction Management Office (DCRRMO) said that the six identified earthquake fault lines in Davao City called the Central Davao Fault System might move anytime, thus, it advised the public to be alert and be informed on what to do in times of disaster.
DCRRMO director Lyndon Ancajas, in a press forum, said that based on the hazard map provided by the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) in February 2015, they cited six active fault lines in Davao City.
These are Lacson fault in Calinan District, Tamugan fault, New Carmen fault, Colosas fault in Paquibato district; the Dacudao fault, and the Biao Eskwela in Tugbok district.
“Yes it could be na anytime from now the fault line in these areas will move,” Ancajas said.
“We are doing monitoring, actually Phivolcs is monitoring all the fault lines,” he added.
The last earthquake that the city experienced was a magnitude 5.6 earthquake that jolted Sarangani province and other parts of Mindanao on July 3. Davao City felt intensity 4.
Ancajas underscored that no certain device can predict earthquake when and where it would happened not even advanced countries like Japan and USA unlike the typhoon where the movement can be monitored through modern technologies.
What they have is the seismograph which could only measure the strength and location of the earthquake.
He said that the strongest earthquake that happened in Davao region was in June 1898 with 8.3 magnitude and April 1924 with 7.2 magnitude.
They are discounting the possibility that it might happen again, thus, they are initiating earthquake drills to mitigate the effect and elevate the public’s awareness on how to respond in the wake of any emergency situation caused by natural calamities.
The DRRMC will hold the 2nd City Wide Shake Out Drill and a tsunami drill on July 27 and their scenario will be based on the 8.3 magnitude.