The Research Institute for Tropical Medicine (RITM), through its Health Emergency Management Office (HEMO), participated in the 1st Quarter Nationwide Simultaneous Earthquake Drill on March 9.
Health Emergency Management Office (HEMO) called on the Institute’s workforce to participate in the drill as part of the efforts to reinforce earthquake preparedness. During his lecture, RITM Disaster Risk Reduction Management in Health (DRRMH) Assistant Manager Mr. Eden Balanza, cited the recent quakes that has taken place in Turkey and Syria. He noted that earthquakes could happen anytime without warning and that preparedness matters to reduce the possible impacts of any disaster.
Employees participated in the activity by attending a Zoom lecture on earthquake preparedness and evacuation procedure hosted by Mr. Balanza and by Safety Officer Ms. Lara Kristine Castro. Afterwards, employees performed the Duck, Cover, and Hold exercise, and evacuated to the identified staging areas inside the Institute.
The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) led the nationwide simultaneous drills in the country. The activity aims to determine the capacity of member agencies in responding to possible devastating earthquakes in the country and to identify possible gaps in current plans and procedures in earthquake preparedness and response.