QUEZON CITY, Philippines (Eagle News) — The Department of Interior and Local Government is now preparing and studying the safety measures that should be put in place in case a 7.2 magnitude earthquake or what they called “The Big One” suddenly hit the West Valley Fault that could kill thousands of people.
DILG Secretary Mike Sueno said that unlike typhoons where everyone can prepare ahead of time, an earthquake can occur anytime. This is the reason why they are now preparing to avert disasters from happening.
He also said that after the 6.7 magnitude earthquake that hit the province of Surigao, everyone, especially those who are leaving in the perimeter of the West Valley Fault must learn from the recent quake. This is so that the public can prepare and be aware if a similar event happened in a highly urbanized area.
According to the Department of Science and Technology – Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (DOST-PHILVOCS), the West Valley Fault system is an imaginary line marking the area where the different fault systems are located underground. They are actively moving and this is where a big earthquake may originate.
DOST-PHIVOLCS also said that the VFS is an active fault system composed of two fault segments: the 10-km long East Valley Fault (EVF) in Rizal and the 100 km long West Valley Fault (WVF) that runs through different cities and towns of Bulacan, Rizal, Metro Manila, Cavite, and Laguna.
The WVF can generate a large earthquake with a magnitude of 7.2 or commonly known as “The Big One” which poses a major threat to people, livelihood, buildings and infrastructures.
Eagle News Service
