Davao tags new tsunami safe zones

Newly identified tsunami impact areas in Davao City will be factored into the upcoming 4th City-wide Full-Scale Earthquake and Tsunami City-Wide Shakeout Drill scheduled for June 26, according to a City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (CDRRMO) official.

Lyndon Ancajas, acting head of the CDRRMO’s Administration and Training Division, said at a press briefing that safe zones will be established based on a recently updated tsunami map.

Following the release of the new map by the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (PHIVOLCS), the CDRRMO met with barangay (village) leaders in the newly designated tsunami risk areas.

“The barangay leaders also know where the safe zones are,” Ancajas said. “More barangays are included unlike before, when we only included coastal barangays.”

Ancajas added that the upcoming drill will incorporate newly procured equipment to address communication gaps and early warning challenges identified in drills conducted in 2017 and 2019.

“Back in 2017, we only had about six or seven sirens, so we are increasing the number of sirens and coastal cameras,” he said. “We have noticed that the seawater recedes whenever there is a tsunami, so those cameras will be our first line of monitoring.”

To address communication issues during emergencies, the city has procured a communications van with a hydraulic tower and antenna that can be deployed by the CDRRMO even in areas far from their normal base of operations.

“It is a vehicle where we can connect our communications equipment and we will place it in an elevated area so it will be our source of signal,” Ancajas explained.

He added that the city is also considering purchasing equipment that can provide a WiFi or internet signal in anticipation of communication disruptions during disasters.