Rescuers still looking for quake survivors
Credit to Author: DEMPSEY REYES| Date: Wed, 24 Apr 2019 16:19:07 +0000
RESCUE teams remain hopeful they would find more survivors from a collapsed supermarket building in Porac, Pampanga, as the toll from the 6.1-magnitude earthquake that struck Luzon on Monday stayed at 16 dead.
Ricardo Jalad, administrator of the Office of Civil Defense (OCD), said on Wednesday there was no change in the figures on casualties: 15 dead in Pampanga and one from Zambales.
Jalad said he was still optimistic on the search-and-rescue operations being conducted by the military, police and firefighters at Chuzon Supermarket in Porac, even if signs of life were last detected on Tuesday.
“Under the supermarket, there are still two floorings below. Our apparatus has a limit of range, but it can still detect signs of life,” he told reporters in an interview.
Jalad said rescuers were drilling a hole into the flooring to retrieve two dozens of people trapped in the supermarket.
Brig. Gen. Rowen Tolentino, commander of the Philippine Army’s 703rd Infantry Brigade, said nine survivors were recovered from the supermarket.
Chuzon’s management told authorities the supermarket’s record section was filled with debris and it was uncertain whether employees managed to escape.
On Tuesday night, operations were halted because of aftershocks.
A magnitude 4.5 aftershock hit Zambales and jolted parts of Metro Manila on Wednesday dawn, the state seismology bureau said.
Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) research assistant Bhenz Rodriguez said the tremor at 2:02 a.m. was the biggest recorded aftershock so far.
“It is possible to have more aftershocks,” Rodriguez said, although the number is slowing down.
As of 7 a.m. on Wednesday, Phivolcs has recorded 622 aftershocks. The strength of the aftershocks ranged from magnitude 1.4 to 4.5 and intensities 1 to 3.
10 injured in Samar
Following the unrelated 6.5-magnitude earthquake that hit Samar Island on Tuesday, the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) said on Wednesday 10 persons were injured in Eastern Visayas.
A total of 35 structures and buildings suffered damage while two provinces, Eastern and Northern Samar, experienced power outages. Power was restored on Wednesday.
Roads remain passable and no major damage has been reported so far following the earthquake that struck San Julian in Eastern Samar.
The NDRRMC maintained its “blue alert” status, which was prompted by the first earthquake that struck Castillejos, Zambales Monday afternoon.
LGUs ordered to inspect buildings
The Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) has ordered all local government units (LGUs) in Luzon and Visayas that were affected by the recent earthquakes to immediately inspect all buildings and infrastructure to ensure public safety.
Interior Secretary Eduardo Año on Wednesday urged the LGUs to coordinate with the Bureau of Fire Protection to ensure that all buildings complied with Presidential Decree 1096, the “National Building Code of the Philippines” (NBCP) and Republic Act 9514 or the “Fire Code of the Philippines.”
Under the NBCP, a dangerous building is an establishment that has been damaged by fire, earthquake, wind, flood or by any other cause, “to such an extent that the structural strength or the stability thereof is materially less than it was before the catastrophe and is less than the minimum requirements of the code.”
Año said all local chief executives should not be complacent in implementing preemptive measures to make sure that all establishments are safe to use.
“If you see any portion of a building wrecked, warped, buckled or settled to such an extent that walls or other structural portions have materially less resistance to earthquake, you should immediately inform the building owners. There should be no compromise when it comes to public safety,” he added in a statement.
Año also directed all DILG regional directors and provincial directors to assess the readiness of the LGUs during and after the earthquakes that struck on Monday.
“All DILG field offices must assess the effectiveness and the lapses of the recent earthquake drills conducted by the LGUs. Check if the LGUs have immediately set up their tactical operation centers. Have the local chief executives convene their respective Local Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Councils,” he said.
The Philippine National Police (PNP) previously declared a full alert status in Eastern Samar after the province was hit by a magnitude 6.5 earthquake on Tuesday.
PNP chief Oscar Albalayde also ordered Brig. Gen. Dionardo Carlos, Eastern Visayas regional director, to activate the Disaster Incident Management Task Group to assist the people there.
Clark resumes operations
Clark International Airport Corp. (CIAC) resumed operations on Wednesday afternoon after authorities repaired the damage at the terminal building caused by Monday’s quake.
“Clark airport is business as usual, from counters to manifest to boarding gates,” CIAC Jaime Melo said in a statement on Wednesday.
The Clark airport was closed and flights were suspended for 24 hours beginning 7:40 p.m. on Monday to inspect the airport terminal structure and facilities for safety purposes.
According to Goddes Hope Libiran, Transportation assistant secretary for Communications, 110 flights were affected while the estimated cost of damage was P30 million.
Clearing operations and repairs began Tuesday morning in the predeparture area.
Melo earlier said stranded passengers due to the earthquake would be “prioritized once the partial operations resume.”
Shelters with food and water were provided to tourists and travelers affected by the flight cancellations.
The new Clark International Airport New Terminal Building, still under construction, was safe from harm, including the New Clark City Phase 1 where a government center, sports stadium, aquatics center and an athletes’ dormitory were “being readied for the Southeast Asian Games this November.”
Arroyo visits victims
A day after the second district of Pampanga was placed in a state of calamity, House Speaker Gloria Macapagal Arroyo on Wednesday personally condoled with the families of quake victims.
Among the victims visited by the Pampanga lawmaker early in the morning were Olivia and Niela Paule in Lubao; Adrian Ocampo, Sophia Arbis, Jivulyn Vera and Gerome Enriquez in Porac; and Manily, Jacob and Hailee de la Cruz in Guagua, Pampanga.
Arroyo also extended financial and burial assistance to the families before heading to the collapsed four-story Chuzon Supermarket and Porac Church, which were among the establishments heavily damaged by the quake.
Japanese Ambassador Koji Haneda sent condolences to the families of the quake fatalities.
“We would like to extend our sincere condolences to the families of the deceased and express our sympathies to all those afflicted by the recent earthquakes in Luzon and Eastern Samar. As a country that has been tackling with earthquakes, Japan is ready to provide assistance needed by the Philippines to the extent possible. We sincerely wish for the early recovery of the disaster-affected regions,” he said.
With a reports from TYRONE C. PIAD, ROY D.R. NARRA AND DIVINA NOVA JOY DELA CRUZ
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