Ready for the big one

As news of the 8.8 magnitude earthquake in Chile trickled in, I avoided watching tv news channels and going to news websites. I did not want to see any more images of devastation. Watching footages of Haiti in ruins after an earthquake struck it was enough. I knew the pictures from Chile would also show horrible scenes.

It was a difficult thing to do as local channels issued news bulletins about the earthquake throughout the weekend. In one of them, I saw Chile's president talking calmly to reporters after the disaster. I was surprised. For the Haiti earthquake, I only saw United Nations representatives and Filipino survivors being interviewed.

A news article comparing the Haiti and Chile earthquakes gave plausible explanations as to why Haiti was more badly-damaged than Chile even if the earthquake that hit Chile was stronger. One of the factors considered was the location of the epicenter. The epicenter was not located in a very populated place in Chile. It was also found in a deeper part of the earth.

The other factor was familiarity of the people with earthquakes and what to do in case of one. The last earthquake in Haiti was over two hundred years ago. Chile has them more often and the residents know what to do in case of an earthquake. Another factor is the infrastructure. Haiti has no building code. Chile has one of the strictest. Thinking about the last two factors kept me awake for two nights.

The Philippines is part of the Pacific Ring of Fire and we have earthquakes fairly regularly. Just last week, three were recorded in Mindanao. With this knowledge, it would be logical to assume that most of us would know what to do in case of an earthquake. Unfortunately, I know this is not the case. When I experienced my first earthquake at 15, I did not.

In 1990, an earthquake struck while we were in class. I was in high school at that time. My classmates and I looked at each other as our room shook. We did nothing. The earth shook again. Guess who fled the room first. We laugh about the incident now and have stopped wondering what would have happened had it been a stronger one.

Like Chile, we have a building code. I'm not an expert on engineering and will assume that the law imposes international standards for building structures in an earthquake-prone area. What I am certain of is that our building code, like a lot of our laws, is not strictly implemented. I just have to walk around the subdivision I live in and look at the structures being built. Everything feels ad hoc, old designs are modified without thought as to whether or not the foundation is strong enough. No one complains unless the next-door neighbor is inconvenienced and files a complaint in city hall.

It's not as if the Philippines does not have enough evidence of how destructive earthquakes can be. The 1990 earthquake destroyed a lot of buildings and killed several people in Baguio, Pangasinan and Nueva Ecija. Despite that, I still do not think that schools carry out earthquake drills often enough. I'm not even sure if they have those drills at all. Those working or living in high rise buildings probably have not been taught what to do in case of an earthquake.

 We can continue praying that we be spared from strong earthquakes and other natural disasters. We can be fatalistic and say that if it's our time to go, there is nothing we can do. After all, no one can predict when, where, and how strong the next earthquake that will strike us will be. Looking at the different effects of the Haiti and Chile earthquakes, however, shows what being prepared can do. Maybe we still have time to get ready.

* * *

Email: [email protected]