CONVERSATION: #ZeroCasualty Hour: Is PH ready for a big quake?

MANILA, Philippines – If the West Valley fault moves, according to the Metro Manila Earthquake Impact Reduction Study (MMEIRS), an estimate of 34,000 people will die and 114,000 will be injured in the aftermath. Hospitals, schools, and fire stations will bear the full brunt of the damage.

How would the country respond if the strong earthquake hits the capital? Are other parts of the country prepared for big earthquakes? What needs to be done?

On Thursday, March 26 at 2:00 pm, MovePH, Rappler’s civic engagement arm, will be holding an online conversation on earthquake preparedness ahead of the nationwide earthquake drill.

On Friday, March 27, the National Disaster Risk Reduction Management Council (NDRRMC) will conduct the drill to prepare for the worst case scenario that an earthquake can bring. (READ: #OplanPagyanig: Marikina to lead nationwide quake drill on March 27)

The #ZeroCasualty conversation will be moderated by MovePH’s Voltaire Tupaz and Rappler social media head Stacy de Jesus.

Leading the conversation are Joan Salcedo of Phivolcs, Philippine Red Cross  (PRC) secretary general Gwen Pang and PRC disaster management services senior manager Roderic Salve, and MovePH multimedia reporter David Lozada, who is covering #OplanPagyanig.

How about you, your community, and local government unit? How are you preparing for earthquakes? What questions do you have?

Join the discussion which will happen on the MovePH Facebook page and on Twitter via the hashtag #ZeroCasualty. – Rappler.com

This conversation initiates #ZeroCasualty hour, a series of social media conversations on disaster preparedness and climate change adaptation that Rappler will be holding with key Project Agos partners and stakeholders.

Project Agos is a collaborative platform that combines top-down government action with bottom-up civic engagement to help communities learn about climate change adaptation and disaster risk reduction. The project harnesses technology and social media to ensure critical information flows to those who need it before, during, and after a disaster. It is a partnership between Rappler and key government, private and civil society groups. It is also supported by the Australian Government.