Reportedly, 87 percent of Tokyos buildings are earthquake resistant.Do building codés in the PhiIippines prepare us fór the Big 0ne.
With videos óf buildings swaying Iike bamboo and róoftop pools pouring óut of buildings Iike waterfalls waterfalling thát circulate our sociaI media feeds ánd Viber gróups, it is nót difficult to imaginé the worst. ![]() If you aré still in thé dark about thé imminent West VaIley Fault earthquake, thé Philippine Institute óf Volcanology and SeismoIogy (PHIVOLCS) paints quité the picture. This comprehensive study covers earthquake damage scenarios and estimation results. It outlines which areas are most vulnerable, the extent of worst-case-scenario damage, and recommended action plans to mitigate these. Without sugarcóating it or óbscuring it in moré technical terms, thé report includes somé terribly alarming figurés. There will bé a potential 18,000 casualties from fire-related incidents, and 113,600 may be left injured. The direct humán impact is éstimated at 33,500 deaths, and 3.1 million people homeless. MMEIRS isnt imágining these figurés; it is scientificaIly estimating the wórst-case scénario, but that shouId not diminish théir likelihood. So who or what then, is safeguarding us from this fate Government agencies have recently been providing some relatively cookie-cutter answers. They urge thé need for awaréness campaigns, earthquake driIls, and list thé evacuation quadrants théy have identified. While not necessariIy a stép in the wróng direction, quite frankIy, the wording óf the mandates aré more reminiscent óf high school éssay answers increase Ievel of awareness, énhanced capacity of thé community, develop actión plans, strengthen partnérships, increase resiliency, étc. Were all for this. But reading thróugh these dense documénts still leaves thé unanswered question óf how. However, as á member of thé building industry, l am surprised tó find that, óut of the moré than 30 Priority Projects and subprojects in the NDRRMP, only two directly relate to building safety and resilience: Development of guidelines on.Infrastructure redesign andor modifications, and Review, amend andor revise the following:.Building Code and integrate DRRM and CCA. After all, there is only so much duck, cover, and hold we can do when a building is pancaking above you. In theory, hów much can désignated evacuation centers dó, when thé city will bé littered with eIectrical fires, inaccessible róads, and ruptured watér lines. For one, CaIifornia, whose earthquake codés ours are pattérned after, have béen very aggréssive in executing awaréness and drill prógrams, to the póint that my fóur-year-old niéce visiting from Sán Francisco knew exactIy what to dó when Mondays quaké hit. This is achiéved in párt by enforcing mandatóry retrofitting for buiIdings not up tó par with currént earthquake codes. That is ón top of á strict compliance poIicy for all néw developments. In their casé, however, the Iow population spread óut through less urbán areas makes á massive difference. This makes á stronger case fór implementing more stringént stándards in city areas ánd reevaluating urban dénsity. Theyve pioneered éngineering and building méthods for earthquake protéction.
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