Quake drills shake schools in Dagupan City

• Source:http://news.pia.gov.ph/article/view/1941466588752/quake-drills-shake-schools-in-dagupan-city
• Saturday, June 25, 2016

By April M. Montes (JNPD/AMM/PIA-1, Pangasinan)

DAGUPAN CITY (PIA) – Thousands of students, teachers and employees streamed out of their schools as the second quarter nationwide simultaneous earthquake drill was staged in campuses and some workplaces in this city on Wednesday (June 22).

As the siren was sounded at 9 a.m., teachers and students performed the “drop, cover and hold” positions and walked out of their classrooms to a designated evacuation area, heads covered with books or notebooks.

In Dagupan City National High School (DCNHS), almost 6,000 students joined the earthquake drill despite the on-going construction of a covered gymnasium and five buildings for senior high school.

Ronald de Guzman, head of the City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office, observed that participants of the earthquake simulation were now attentive and cooperative, unlike in the previous drills.

However, De Guzman noted that the evacuation area at DCNHS is quite constricted and suggested that school administrators should look for an alternative space where students can stay in case of emergency.

“They could tie-up with an adjacent private school that has an open space or those with vacant lots to accommodate students during quake drills,” he advised, adding that DCNHS should alter its evacuation plan, route and area because of the on-going constructions.

Aside from DCNHS, 15 more schools and the division office of the Department of Education in this city participated in the exercise and accepted the #Pagyanig Challenge.