As the City Hall siren rang, city government employees executed the Duck-Cover-Hold technique before evacuating to a safe area as part of the National Simultaneous Earthquake Drill (NSED) Thursday, November 9 at 9am.

Facilitated by the City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (CDRRMO) in partnership with the Office of Civil Defense (OCD) and PHIVOLCS, the 4th Quarter NSED identified the regional offices of Philhealth and the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) as pilot sites in Zamboanga City.

The Zamboanga Peninsula Polytechnic University (ZPPSU) and the Police Regional Office -9 and numerous other agencies actively participated in the drill, held as part of the continuing effort to strengthen earthquake preparedness.

The CDRRMO deployed various evaluation teams to observe and assess the outcome of the NSED.

The OCD and the CDRRMO advocates 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 an strong earthquake occurs.

The nationwide quake drill was initially conceptualized during the Arroyo Administration in the aftermath of the destructive earthquake in Yogyakarta, Indonesia on 27 May 2006, according to the OCD. (Sheila Covarrubias)