Nationwide earthquake drill tests tsunami preparedness in Cagayan

The Philippines conducted its fourth-quarter Nationwide Simultaneous Earthquake Drill (NSED) on Thursday, with the Office of Civil Defense (OCD) leading a full-scale exercise in Santa Ana, Cagayan, alongside government agencies and local government units (LGUs).

The OCD simulated a magnitude 8.5 earthquake triggered by movement along the East Luzon Trough, with a hypothetical epicenter 180 kilometers southeast of Santa Ana. The scenario also included tsunami waves reaching about three meters high, inundating coastal areas and penetrating up to five kilometers inland. Three barangays in Santa Ana and four neighboring municipalities were placed under the simulated impact zone.

“The general objective [of this exercise scenario] is to assess earthquake and tsunami preparedness of the Cagayan Valley region, Cagayan Provincial and Santa Ana [Municipal] Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Councils,” OCD Disaster Preparedness Service Director Vicente Tomas said during the NSED ceremonial program.

“These include validating response and contingency plans and evaluating the effectiveness of disaster response operations,” he added.

Tomas said the communication exercise was held on Wednesday, while the ceremonial program and full-scale drill took place on Thursday, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

“The exercise will test the implementation of relevant regional, provincial and municipal disaster response and contingency plans,” he said.

Participants included the Santa Ana Local Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office, selected barangays, regional and provincial disaster risk reduction and management councils, neighboring LGUs, rescue groups, the OCD, Armed Forces of the Philippines reservists, Bureau of Fire Protection and Philippine Coast Guard.

World Tsunami Awareness Day

The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (PHIVOLCS) also marked the United Nations-declared World Tsunami Awareness Day on 5 November.

“The goal of World Tsunami Awareness Day is to increase people's knowledge about tsunamis and share various ways to reduce their damage,” PHIVOLCS said in its Tsunami InfoSerye.

PHIVOLCS Director Teresito Bacolcol stressed that disaster preparedness requires everyone's participation. While monitoring stations and warning systems provide assistance, families, schools and barangays must also know how to respond.

“Knowing the natural signs and acting immediately is especially important when the earthquake happens nearby,” he said during the NSED program in Santa Ana.

“That knowledge can save lives. This year marks the 50th anniversary of the 1976 Moro Gulf earthquake and 32 years since the 1994 Mindoro earthquake and tsunami,” Bacolcol said.

Indonesia shares disaster lessons

Indonesia's National Disaster Management Agency Deputy for Disaster Prevention Abdul Muhari visited the Philippines upon invitation to share four key lessons on disaster preparedness: training before disasters, lifelong preparedness, cooperation among individuals and authorities, and continuity of essential public services during emergencies.

“That is why today's Nationwide Simultaneous Earthquake Drill is very important. These exercises transform written plans into practical capabilities, institutional responsibility into coordinated action, and individual awareness into collective action,” Muhari said.

He said he had lived in Japan for six years and experienced the 2011 tsunami, highlighting the principle of tsunami tendenko, which encourages people to evacuate immediately to safety rather than wait for others.

“You must put yourself before assisting others. But it does not mean we should abandon others; rather, it emphasizes the importance of preparing everyone in advance so that each person knows how to protect themselves while ensuring appropriate assistance for those who cannot evacuate independently,” Muhari said.

“The greatest tragedy is not only when a disaster brings losses, but when we realize that knowledge, coordination, and capabilities needed to respond are lacking,” he added.