City Hall employees and clients executed the Duck, Cover and Hold protocol at the first sign of an earthquake, as they participated in the 1st Nationwide Simultaneous Earthquake Drill (NSED) Monday morning, March 25.

The drill, organized by the City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (CDRRMO) in collaboration with the Office of the Civil Defense (OCD) and PhiVolcs and other agencies, was participated by local and national government agencies, academic institutions, and business establishments in the city.

NSED, done quarterly, is aimed to promote disaster preparedness as well as test the readiness of the different agencies.

The OCD and the CDRRMO advocate people to duck down to the floor, take cover under a sturdy table or desk, and hold on until the shaking stops, if and when a strong earthquake occurs.

Several teams of evaluators were deployed to the different sites identified by the CDRRMO and the OCD. (Sheila Covarrubias)