The Davao City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (CDRRMO) said there was no major damage in the city’s coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) temporary treatment and monitoring facilities (TTMFs) after the magnitude 7.1 earthquake that jolted Davao Oriental early Thursday.
In a radio interview Thursday, CDRRMO chief Alfredo Baloran said based on their raw assessment, only minor or hairline cracks were noted in three Covid-19 TTMFs – University of the Philippines Mintal Isolation Facility, Doña Carmen Elementary School, and A.L. Navarro Elementary and High School.
“The facilities are all safe and no evacuation was advised. We also asked the help of structural engineers to further check the stability of the buildings,” he said.
Baloran also assured that facility managers in the TTMFs were trained and can manage well such emergency situation occurs.
“The facility managers had been trained and oriented on what to do and how to manage the patients during an emergency,” he said.
Aside from this, a team was also dispatched to check on government structures, prioritizing those that were previously reported to have some damage from past earthquakes.
“Those which are previously damaged from previous earthquakes, we prioritized that, there are no further cracks,” he added.
Baloran stressed the importance of keeping calm in times of earthquake and reminded the public to follow the duck, cover, and hold.
He said panic would cause more accidents and stampedes, resulting in more injuries.
Source: Philippines News Agency