By Claudeth Mocon-Ciriaco / Correspondent
STARTING this week, the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) will conduct a simulation of a 7.2-magnitude earthquake in 72 barangays near the West Valley Fault.
MMDA Chairman Francis N. Tolentino sees the need to conduct the simulation, noting that Metro Manila is not yet prepared for a big earthquake and that the people should be able to feel how strong the tremor is.
The MMDA will bring its “mobile earthquake house” to the identified communities.
“We will prioritize those barangays that are near the West Valley Fault so that residents would feel the 6.9- and 7.2-magnitude quakes,” Tolentino said.
He said the earthquake house is a hydraulically operated facility, which resembles a bungalow. It can simulate seismic movements ranging from 4.0 to 8.0 magnitude.
In 2013 the MMDA unveiled its earthquake simulator called “Shake, Rattle and Learn House” and used it to educate the public about earthquake and its effects.
Tolentino, who is also the head of Metro Manila Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council, said the simulation will raise awareness in barangays and schools about earthquakes.
The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) earlier said the 100-kilometer long fault line that passes through 42 barangays in Quezon City, Marikina, Pasig, Makati, Taguig, Muntinlupa and 30 barangays in Bulacan, Rizal, Cavite, Laguna, may cause a 7.2-magnitude quake.
According to Phivolcs, a 7.2-magnitude earthquake from the Valley Fault System would affect the entire Metro Manila, not just areas above or near the fault.
Based on the Metro Manila Earthquake Impact Reduction Study (MMEIRS), a study conducted Phivolcs in cooperation with the Japan International Cooperation Agency (Jica) and the MMDA, an estimated 33,500 people will get killed if a 7.2 magnitude earthquake hits the metropolis.