TASK 2

Local:

Regular earthquake drills pushed in Caraga

Original: THE Regional Disaster Risk Reduction Management Council (RDRRMC) in Caraga region is
pushing for government offices, school and business establishments to conduct regular earthquake drill
throughout the region. "Earthquake drills will help us evaluate and gauge the efficiency of the warning
dissemination and the response of the local DRRM Councils and the local government units (LGUs), as
well as the level of preparedness of schools, hospitals and surrounding communities if an actual
earthquake takes place,” said Liza Mazo, chair of the Caraga RDRRMC. Mazo stressed on the importance
of such drill for Caraga region. Active faults "Caraga region has a high risk to earthquake considering the
number of active faults in the region. It is important that everybody knows the risk and how to react
when this risk becomes a disaster. A culture of safety should be instilled in everyone. Regular conduct of
drills will ensure that safety is institutionalized and become a lifestyle,” said Mazo. Mazo who is also the
regional director for the Office of Civil Defense in Caraga further explained the need for local legislation
to make the drill a requirement for institutions especially government offices and schools. "Right now,
the regular drills have not yet been fully implemented, we hope that this would change and LGU
legislations would push for the implementation. Right now, only a handful of schools in Butuan City have
been doing regular drills, which should be a minimum of four within a year and hopefully more," she
said. Eugene Boco, wilderness emergency medical technician, president of the United Sentinel Search
and rescue team pointed out the importance of the drills in preparing and avert future disasters. "Drills
are one of the most important parts of an earthquake plan. They allow you to see how well things
operate and to correct any problems. When an earthquake happens, it is too late to discover that parts
of your plan may not work, so constant practice and evaluation should be done,” said Boco. Boco who
has experienced several search and rescue scenario all over the country emphasized that when a person
has already been trained in situations such as earthquake drills it would now be a secondary muscle
reflex in moving and making the right decisions and the person would less likely panic. Michael Leo Cane
Torralba, Caraga coordinator of Samahang Magdalo, is enthusiastic to support the call to implement
regular disaster related drills. "We know that the budgets for such drills are limited so we in our group
have linked up and partnered with disaster response network professionals to help disseminate, give
out free trainings and conduct drills here in Caraga. The alliance is geared toward the provision of basic
to advanced training to help grassroots communities to be aware and be of service to their localities,”
said Torralba. Torralba said that his group will assist and help government programs like disaster
mitigation and response, most especially on areas where the government falls short in its delivery due to
its lack of resources.
Paraphrased: The Regional Disaster Risk Reduction Management Council (RDRRMC) in the Caraga region
is pushing for frequent earthquake exercises at local businesses, schools, and government buildings. The
Caraga RDRRMC Chair, Liza Mazo, stressed the importance of these drills for the area. "Earthquake
exercises will enable us to analyze and measure the efficacy of warning distribution and the reaction of
local DRRM Councils, local government units (LGUs), schools, hospitals, and surrounding communities in
the case of an actual earthquake," she said. Due to the significant earthquake danger in the Caraga
region and the existence of active faults, Mazo emphasized the significance of these drills. She
underlined the need for everyone to adopt a safety culture and said that holding frequent drills will help
to institutionalize safety and make it a way of life. Mazo, who is also the regional director for the Office
of Civil Defense in Caraga, went on to describe why it is essential for municipal laws to require these
exercises, especially for government buildings and educational institutions. She expects that LGUs would
advocate for the adoption of these drills because they are currently not often used. She noted that just a
few schools in Butuan City had been doing regular exercises, which were to take place at least four times
year and ideally more frequently. The president of the United Sentinel Search and Rescue Team and a
wilderness emergency medical technician, Eugene Boco, underlined the importance of exercises in
anticipating and averting future calamities. He emphasized the importance of exercises in quake
preparedness plans since they help firms find and fix any problems with their response protocols. Boco
emphasized the need of constantly rehearsing and testing these methods because it is too late to find
errors during a real earthquake. Boco stressed that those trained in earthquake exercises are better
ready to respond automatically and make educated judgments, minimizing the chance of panic during
emergencies. Boco has vast expertise in search and rescue scenarios around the country. Samahang
Magdalo's Caraga coordinator, Michael Leo Cane Torralba, indicated his desire to support the need for
routine disaster-related drills. His organization has collaborated with experts in disaster response to
offer free training and hold simulations in Caraga. To empower local communities and close gaps in
government disaster mitigation and response activities, particularly in resource-strapped areas,
Torralba's partnership wants to provide fundamental to advanced training.
Dinagat summit seeks calibrated disaster response, skills upgrade
Original: BUTUAN CITY – The Dinagat Islands Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction Management Office
(PDRRMO) will spearhead the province’s 10th Rescue Summit and Response Exercises from Nov. 16 to
19, a top official said Tuesday. In an interview, Governor Nilo Demerey Jr. pointed out that Dinagat
Islands, being an island province, is constantly at risk from the threats of calamities, especially typhoons.
Demerey said the summit will serve as a venue to assess and calibrate the various strategies and
responses made in the past calamities, especially during the onslaught of typhoon Odette in December
last year. “It is important that we look back into our experiences and learn from them,” Demerey said.
The activity will be joined by 411 disaster and emergency responders from the seven municipalities,
including the allied response groups as well as the Philippines Air Force, the Philippine National Police,
Philippine Coast Guard, Bureau of Fire Protection, and Philippine Army Reservists. “We want to ensure
the fitness and readiness of our responders and equip them with updated knowledge and skills on
search and rescue,” Demerey said. During the summit, he said the responders will undergo activities to
hone their skills in assisting the local government units and communities during disaster and emergency
situations. The summit will also serve as an awareness campaign among constituents regarding
preparations during calamities, he added. (PNA)

Paraphrased: According to a senior official who made the news on Tuesday, the province's 10th Rescue
Summit and Response Exercises will be led by the Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction Management Office
(PDRRMO) of the Dinagat Islands in Butuan City from November 16 to 19. Governor Nilo Demerey Jr.
warned that the island province of Dinagat Islands always runs the danger of natural disasters, notably
typhoons. Demerey outlined how the summit would offer a chance to assess and improve the tactics
and measures taken in the wake of earlier disasters, particularly the effects of Typhoon Odette in
December of the previous year. Demerey emphasized the significance of taking stock of the past and
learning from it in order to maintain development. 411 disaster and emergency responders from the
seven municipalities that make up the province will take part in the event, along with a number of allied
response organizations like the Philippine Air Force, Philippine National Police, Philippine Coast Guard,
Bureau of Fire Protection, and Philippine Army Reservists. Demerey stated his desire to assure the
responders' readiness and competence by giving them the most recent training in search and rescue
techniques. The conference will provide these first responders the chance to improve their skills in
supporting local governments and communities in crisis situations. The summit will also serve as a
campaign to raise awareness among its participants about the required precautions to take and how to
react in an emergency.
Caraga RDRRMC conducts Refresher/Orientation to Evaluators of Earthquake Drill
Original: BUTUAN CITY, Aug. 15 (PIA) – To improve perceptions and performance of evaluators during
earthquake drills in different establishments in the province of Agusan del Norte, the Regional Disaster
Risk Reduction and Management Council (RDRRMC) spearheaded the conduct of Refresher/Orientation
on how to evaluate an earthquake drill, held recently in one of the local convention centers here. The
evaluators come from the member-agencies of RDRRMC through their permanent focal persons led by
the Office of Civil Defense (OCD) Caraga. During the orientation, some of the rescuers from Butuan City
Search and Rescue Team and Agusan del Norte Emergency Rescue Team also participated and shared
their actual experiences during earthquake. Marc Gil Calang, Training Officer of the Office of Civil
Defense (OCD) Caraga emphasized that evaluators should be objective in their assessment and
evaluation during earthquake drill. He also recalled that there was once when one of the evaluators in
the previous drills who said and suggested during the evaluation that drill participants should go
immediately outside the building during the occurrence of earthquake or when in case they are in the
upper floors of the building, they should immediately proceed to the roof top. “This kind of thinking will
surely put the lives of the participants at risk whenever the actual earthquake comes, instead of
teaching and reminding the drill participants to always apply and perform the ‘Duck, Cover, and Hold’ to
protect them from falling debris… This is one of the reasons why the RDRRMC would want the old and
new focal persons from member-agencies to be refreshed on the right ways of evaluating an earthquake
drill, as well as the fire drill,” stressed Calang. Calang further said that drill participants must also
cooperate well during earthquake drills so that they can always perform the proper way of protecting
themselves when the actual earthquake comes. With this, the RDRRMC hoped that drill evaluators must
be sincere in their evaluations, suggestions and recommendations to improve the performance of the
drill participants in the different establishments and offices. (JPG/PIA-Caraga)

Paraphrased: The Regional Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (RDRRMC) took the
initiative to organize a Refresher/Orientation session in Butuan City on August 15 in order to improve
the knowledge and abilities of evaluators taking part in earthquake drills held at various establishments
in Agusan del Norte province. A nearby conference facility served as the venue for the event. The
evaluators were appointed by their respective permanent focal points on behalf of the member
organizations of the RDRRMC, under the direction of the Office of Civil Defense (OCD) Caraga. Members
of the Agusan del Norte Emergency Rescue Team and the Butuan City Search and Rescue Team, who
had direct experience with earthquake reactions, also attended the orientation to give their practical
ideas. The necessity of evaluators retaining objectivity in their judgments during earthquake simulations
was underlined by Marc Gil Calang, Training Officer for the Office of Civil Defense (OCD) Caraga. He
recalled an earlier instance where an assessor had advised participants to leave buildings right away in
the event of an earthquake or, if they were on higher levels, to get to the rooftop. Such advice,
according to Calang, might put lives in risk during genuine earthquakes since it differs from the advised
"Duck, Cover, and Hold" technique, which is meant to shield people from falling objects. Calang
emphasized the necessity for member agencies' existing and new focus points to be educated on the
proper evaluation techniques for both fire drills and earthquake drills. In order to guarantee that they
are properly equipped to defend themselves during actual earthquakes, he underlined the significance
of drill participants cooperating efficiently throughout these exercises. The RDRRMC stated that it hoped
drill evaluators would offer genuine assessments, ideas, and proposals to improve the performance of
participants in diverse settings and workplaces.
National:
Safe Schools: 36 Evacuation Drills in One Month
Original: To mark the annual National Disaster Consciousness Month, CARE Nederland and its strategic
partners in the Philippines carried out in July month-long activities in 36 schools located in high-risk
villages across the country. In each school, the various activities were capped by earthquake evacuation
drills. By the end of July, a total of 6,776 students and 364 teachers have increased their awareness
about disasters and have acquired basic emergency preparedness skills such as school contingency
planning and conducting evacuation drills. The 36 schools are participating in two complementary DRR
projects being implemented by CARE and partners in the Philippines – the Partners for Resilience (PfR)
Project and the Scale Up, Build Up Project (SUBU). PfR is a five-year project being supported by The
Netherlands Ministry of Foreign Affairs. SUBU is an 18=month project by the European Commission
Humanitarian Aid and Civil Protection department’s disaster preparedness programme (DIPECHO). The
strategic partners are Agri Aqua Development Cooperation (AADC), Assistance and Cooperation for
Community Resilience and Development (ACCORD), Cordillera Disaster Response and Development
Services (CORDIS RDS) and Corporate Network for Disaster Response (CNDR). Although the different
schools have different risk profiles, a common general strategy was adopted for all schools. The teachers
are trained on Community-Based Disaster Risk Reduction that incorporates Climate Change Adaptation
and Ecosystem Management and Restoration. This allowed them to prepare lesson plans that
incorporate DRR in regular school subjects such as science and social science. These lesson plans were
subsequently implemented by teachers to raise student awareness on how they can reduce their
exposure to risks. School Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Committees (SDRRMCs) were also
organized. These SDRRMCs carried our risk assessments and led in the formulation of school
contingency plans. The school activities were capped by evacuation drills which served to create
increased awareness among students and teachers about the school contingency plan, which includes
the school evacuation plan, and to test the effectiveness of the plans. While a few schools’ heads
needed the intervention (through memoranda) of higher education authorities, most schools’ heads and
teachers gladly welcomed the DRR activities. “We have limited knowledge about our responsibilities as
defined in the new laws about disaster risk reduction and climate change. A department memorandum
also requires us to conduct quarterly evacuation drills. We try to comply with the requirements but we
do not even know if we are doing them correctly. We are now confident that we are doing the
classroom discussions and the evacuation drills correctly,” says Mr. Michael Pareja, a former teacher in
Laminga National High School and now the principal of Waloe High School in Loreto, Agusan del Sur.
Lack of DRR capacity of teachers, location of schools in high-risk areas, and limited participation of
school authorities at the subnational level were the key challenges encountered in the course of
implementing the month-long activities. However, those on the ground, the teachers, are willing to
learn towards resiliency. There is a marked increase in appreciation evident in all areas, summarized by
Mrs. Rachel Balacdao, a teacher of Ucab Elementary School in Itogon, Benguet, we said, “From now on,
we will make the conduct of classroom discussion and earthquake drills regular, to ensure that children
learn about them and are able to share the knowledge with their families.”
Paraphrased: In July, 36 schools located in high-risk neighborhoods countrywide participated in a
month-long series of events organized by CARE Nederland and its collaborative partners in the
Philippines in honor of National Disaster Consciousness Month. These exercises were wrapped off with
earthquake evacuation simulations at each school. By the end of July, a total of 6,776 pupils and 364
instructors had improved their disaster awareness and learned the fundamentals of emergency
preparation, including conducting evacuation exercises and planning for emergencies at school. The
Partners for Resilience (PfR) Project, funded over a five-year period by the Netherlands Ministry of
Foreign Affairs, and the Scale Up, Build Up Project (SUBU), an 18-month project under the European
Commission Humanitarian Aid and Civil Protection department's disaster preparedness program
(DIPECHO), are two complementary Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) projects that these 36 schools are
taking part in. Agri Aqua Development Cooperation (AADC), Assistance and Cooperation for Community
Resilience and Development (ACCORD), Cordillera Disaster Response and Development Services (CORDIS
RDS), and Corporate Network for Disaster Response (CNDR) are some of the groups that collaborate.
Despite the fact that each school had a unique risk profile, a single overarching plan was adopted for all
of them. Teachers who attended a course on community-based disaster risk reduction, which also
included climate change adaptation and ecosystem management and restoration, were able to design
lesson plans that incorporated DRR concepts into common disciplines like science and social science.
Teachers then used these lesson plans to educate pupils about limiting their exposure to dangers.
Additionally, School Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Committees (SDRRMCs) were created to
help with the creation of school emergency plans and undertake risk assessments. Evacuation exercises
were held to close off the school's activities. These drills sought to increase student and teacher
knowledge of the school's contingency plan, which included evacuation procedures, and to assess how
successful the plan was. Most school administrators appreciated the DRR initiatives, even if some called
for involvement (through memoranda) from higher education authorities. As the principal of Waloe High
School in Loreto, Agusan del Sur, and a former instructor at Laminga National High School, Mr. Michael
Pareja observed, "A department memo also requires us to conduct quarterly evacuation drills. We have
limited knowledge about our responsibilities as defined in the new laws about disaster risk reduction
and climate change. We make an effort to follow the rules, but we are unsure if we are following them
appropriately. Despite obstacles like the teachers' limited DRR capacity, the fact that schools are
situated in high-risk areas, and the limited involvement of school authorities at the subnational level, the
commitment of teachers on the ground to teaching and fostering resilience is clear. As demonstrated by
Mrs. Rachel Balacdao, a teacher at Ucab Elementary School in Itogon, Benguet, who said, "From now on,
we will make the conduct of classroom discussions and earthquake drills regular to ensure that children
learn about them and are able to share the knowledge with their families," there is a noticeably
increased appreciation for DRR activities across all areas.
Teaching disaster preparedness in schools
Original: MANILA, 28 November 2012 (IRIN) - The Philippines is making headway in integrating disaster
preparedness into primary and high school curricula, say officials. "The net effect of this is that children
will actively become agents in saving themselves and others in cases of disaster," Office of Civil Defence
chief Benito Ramos told IRIN in Manila. "The ultimate goal is zero casualties by making them [children]
less vulnerable in such situations." Since the programme's launch in 2010, the Education Department, in
conjunction with the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC), has
developed modules to be used by tutors to educate students on various hazards, as well as how to
respond to them. NDRRMC volunteers have been working closely with teachers in thousands of schools
to cover issues such as proper responses to emergency alerts, safety measures, preparing go-to bags
(with clothes, medicine and emergency supplies), and the right time to evacuate, he said. Children are
also taught to store all school records, manuals, books and electronic equipment in a safe, elevated
place in case of floods. "We want to teach children early response times because in the Philippine
setting, parents and adults are often the hardest ones to convince to leave their homes even if
floodwaters are rising fast," he said. Ramos said all educational institutions were mandated by the
country's Disaster Risk Management Act of 2010 to regularly hold flood, typhoon and earthquake drills.
Raymond Palatino, a member of the House of Representatives for the youth sector, said administrators
in many schools, however, had not been strict in implementing such drills, largely due to lack of funds
and resources. Parents, too, put emphasis on academic learning, rather than disaster drills. He said
school-based emergency drills were currently conducted only every three months, despite the
Philippines being prone to earthquakes and having many active volcanoes. Upwards of 20 typhoons also
slam into the country every year, causing large-scale flooding and deaths. "Current trends necessitate
the integration of disaster management education in school curricula," said Palatino. Lessons from
Japan? He suggested the country follow the example of Japan's Iwate Prefecture, where children are
taught early evacuation, and disaster management experts are frequent visitors. Teachers there
reportedly have "hazard maps" to plot escape routes, something credited with saving many lives when
the March 2011 tsunami hit Japan. Ramos said the government was also moving to ensure that poorly
built schools are strengthened and early warning systems and mechanisms are put in place. "Schools are
very important, because in many areas of the Philippines they are used as evacuation centres, yet some
of them are not disaster-proof," he said. Nineteen cyclones struck the Philippines In 2011. Ten were
destructive, causing 1,541 deaths and affecting nearly 10 million of the country's 100 million people, the
NDRRMC said. According to the just released Global Climate Risk Index 2013, the Philippines ranked fifth
in terms of countries most affected by extreme weather conditions - after Thailand, Cambodia, Pakistan
and El Salvador (up from 14th place in 2010).
Paraphrased: According to authorities, the Philippines is making success in its attempts to include
disaster preparation in the basic and secondary school curricula. The Education Department has
developed educational materials in partnership with the National Disaster Risk Reduction and
Management Council (NDRRMC) since the program's launch in 2010. Benito Ramos, head of the Office
of Civil Defence, said: "The end result of this initiative is that children will play an active role in saving
themselves and others during disasters. The ultimate objective is to reduce casualties by making
children less vulnerable in such situations.". In various schools, NDRRMC volunteers have closely
collaborated with teachers to address issues including safe practices, disaster preparedness, how to
respond appropriately to alerts for emergencies, and when to evacuate. Children are also taught to
store their school supplies, manuals, books, and electronics in a safe place that is raised in case of
flooding. Because it can be difficult to convince parents and adults to leave their houses amid swiftly
rising floodwaters in the Philippines, Ramos said, "we strive to educate youngsters the significance of
responding immediately." Ramos further said that the Disaster Risk Management Act of 2010 mandates
that all educational institutions regularly practice for earthquakes, typhoons, and floods. Representative
for the youth sector Raymond Palatino noted that many schools have not been stringent in executing
such drills owing to a lack of funding and resources. Parents also frequently place less importance on
catastrophe preparedness than on academic development. Palatino claimed that despite the Philippines'
vulnerability to earthquakes, host to multiple active volcanoes, and host to more than 20 typhoons
yearly that cause massive floods and fatalities, school-based evacuation exercises are nevertheless
performed every three months. He advised that the Philippines copy Iwate Prefecture in Japan's early
evacuation instruction and frequent school visits by disaster management specialists. Teachers utilize
"hazard maps" to plot escape routes; this strategy is credited with saving lives following the tsunami
that hit Japan in 2011. Ramos said that in addition to strengthening subpar schools, the government is
putting in place early warning systems and methods. In many places of the Philippines, schools
frequently act as evacuation hubs; however, some of them are not built to survive calamities, he
stressed. According to the NDRRMC, the Philippines suffered 19 cyclones in 2011, 10 of which caused
major damage, killing 1,541 people, and impacting close to 10 million of the country's 100 million
inhabitants. The Philippines came in fifth position among nations most vulnerable by extreme weather,
after Thailand, Cambodia, Pakistan, and El Salvador, according to the newly released Global Climate Risk
Index 2013 (a substantial improvement from its 14th place rating in 2010).
DepED orders schools to hold mandatory unannounced earthquake, fire drills
Original: All public schools were directed by the Department of Education (DepED) to hold unannounced
earthquake and fire drills to help increase the awareness of learners and personnel on what to do when
natural calamities occur. Signed by Vice President and Education Secretary Sara Z. Duterte, DepEd Order
No. 53 series of 2022 was issued requiring all schools to conduct unannounced earthquake and fire drills
in schools. Located within the seismically active Pacific “Ring of Fire,” DepED noted that the Philippines
is prone to natural disasters and earthquakes. “These natural hazards, coupled with vulnerabilities,
increase the risk of disasters in schools and communities,” the agency said. DepED explained that aside
from natural disasters, man-made catastrophes also “pose serious risks and threats to the safety and
security” of the students, teachers, and other school personnel. “Emergencies and calamities may strike
anywhere and anytime,” DepED said. “Thus, having an effective preparedness plan is the key in
preventing disasters and saving lives,” it added. DepED stressed that local drills and simulation exercises
are “preventive measures” that familiarize escape routes and reinforce proper actions in the occurrence
of a calamity. “Frequent practice of these drills and exercises would eventually turn these actions into
automatic reflexes that would manifest during an actual calamity,” the department said. Aligned with its
commitment to ensuring the safety and well-being of its learners and school personnel, DepED said that
“all public schools are hereby required to conduct unannounced earthquake and fire drills every first
and third week of every month.” This directive, the agency explained, is under Republic Act (RA) No.
10121 or The Philippine Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Act of 2010 which promotes the
development of capacities in disaster management at the individual, organizational, and institutional
levels. DepED also instructed School Heads, with the assistance of School Disaster and Risk Reduction
Management Coordinators, to spearhead the planning, implementation, and regular monitoring of
these drills in their respective schools. “These drills are to ensure that all learners are properly guided on
what should be done during and after an earthquake or occurrences of fire in schools,” DepED noted.
Furthermore, DepED also directed all schools in the National Capital Region (NCR), Rizal, Cavite, Laguna,
and Bulacan, to create a “separate and specific disaster plan” for a magnitude 7 or higher earthquake.
“The plan shall specifically lay down the response should there be a scenario involving mass casualties of
learners and personnel,” DepED said. Schools were instructed to refer to DepEd Order (DO) No. 27, s.
2015 or Promoting Family Earthquake Preparedness for materials that may be used by learners and their
families as a guide in the preparation before, during, and after the occurrence of an earthquake.
Meanwhile, DepED said that private schools, community learning centers, as well as state/local
universities and colleges (SUCs/LUCs) may “choose to adopt the provisions” of this DO as a basis in the
conduct of their earthquake and fire drills for the disaster preparedness of their students. Duterte
ordered the “immediate dissemination of and strict compliance” with this newly-issued directive.
Paraphrase: To improve staff and student readiness for natural catastrophes, the Department of
Education (DepED) has ordered that all public schools undertake surprise earthquake and fire exercises.
The Vice President and Education Secretary Sara Z. Duterte issued DepED Order No. 53 of 2022, which
mandates that all schools conduct surprise earthquake and fire exercises. The Philippines' vulnerability
to natural catastrophes, notably earthquakes, has been highlighted by DepED due to the country's
location inside the seismically active Pacific "Ring of Fire." The organization observed that the danger of
catastrophes in schools and communities is increased by these natural hazards mixed with
vulnerabilities. Along with natural disasters, DepED recognized the potential hazards and threats
provided by man-made disasters, highlighting the need of preparedness programs in averting tragedies
and preserving lives. The department noted that disasters and crises may happen at any time, and also
underscored that local drills and simulation exercises serve as preventive measures to acquaint people
with escape routes and reinforce necessary actions during a disaster. The goal of regular practice of
these exercises is to make these acts routine reactions in the event of a real emergency. Every first and
third week of each month, DepED has ordered that all public schools do unannounced earthquake and
fire drills as part of its commitment to protecting the safety of students and school staff. The Philippine
Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Act of 2010, also known as Republic Act No. 10121, which
encourages the development of disaster management capabilities at the individual, organizational, and
institutional levels, is in line with this instruction. School Heads have been given responsibility by DepED
for overseeing the preparation, execution, and ongoing supervision of these exercises in their individual
schools with the assistance of School Disaster and Risk Reduction Management Coordinators. These
exercises are designed to make sure that all students are aware of what to do before, during, and after
an earthquake or fire occurrence in a school. DepED has also mandated the creation of a particular
disaster plan for earthquakes having a magnitude of 7 or higher in all schools in the National Capital
Region (NCR), Rizal, Cavite, Laguna, and Bulacan. This strategy will detail how to react in scenarios that
include both staff members and students suffering massive casualties. DepED has suggested that schools
refer to DepEd Order No. 27, which was issued in 2015 and is focused on promoting family earthquake
preparedness. This order includes tools that may be used by students and their families to prepare for
earthquakes before, during, and after they occur. DepED has also expanded the option for private
schools, community learning centers, state and local universities and colleges (SUCs/LUCs), to
implement the principles of this directive as a foundation for carrying out their earthquake and fire drills
for student disaster preparedness. This new policy must be immediately publicized and its rules must be
strictly followed, according to the mandate.
Global
Why schools should rethink the century-old fire drill emergency response approach
Original:
For over 100 years, schools have been practicing fire drills in an effort to keep their staff and students
safe. In fact, some students may practice more than 72 fire drills throughout their grade school career.
With the hope of ingraining what to do in the case of an emergency without students having to think
twice, the repetition is working. But what if you line up in a single fire line and head straight into
unknown danger? Then a well-rehearsed plan may be for nothing. With the advancement of technology
and the changes in threats to our schools, the fire drill is no longer the best way to practice emergency
preparedness. No matter how many times a fire drill is practiced, it won’t be helpful if the situation
doesn’t go exactly as expected. For instance, when a fire alarm is pulled, that doesn’t always mean a fire
is taking place, but the school population has no way of knowing this. Due to the protocol, they will carry
out what they have practiced during fire drills. For many scenarios, this is not ideal and can even be
dangerous. If an intruder pulls a fire alarm, this can lead to students and staff flooding the hallways,
which is the exact opposite of what a school would want to happen in this situation. More schools are
seeing fire alarms being used as a means of communication for emergencies beyond a fire. In fact, we’ve
seen active shooters use fire alarms to lure the masses to open gun fire in shootings like Parkland,
among others. Instead of focusing on fire drills, schools should focus on increasing situational
awareness in and around their buildings so they can make informed decisions during any emergency.
The best way to prepare for an emergency, whether it’s a fire, intruder, inclement weather or anything
else is to create the ability to communicate and disperse information as quickly as possible to all
involved. Through a situational awareness-based approach to emergencies, principals, teachers and
other onsite and even offsite personnel can receive real-time information about a possible threat and
initiate the appropriate response plan. To do this, schools must implement a technology system that can
quickly collect and deliver information, such as an automated alerting platform. An automated alerting
platform can be used to integrate a school’s existing individual technology systems together. Schools
often already have certain technologies such as a PA system, phones, door access control, cameras, a
fire panel and more, but they all work separately and therefore are unable to communicate with each
other. However, when these systems are all connected with a single platform, they can improve their
functionality. For example, the automated alerting platform would monitor all of these systems, so, if a
fire alarm was triggered, the alerting platform could pull the live video feed from the camera(s) nearest
to the alarm and then send an alert to the proper people, such as the principal, maintenance staff and
even directly to the fire department. By leveraging an automated alerting platform, schools can use
many of their technologies proactively rather than reactively. Cameras in a school are often only utilized
after an incident has already occurred, but by pulling live surveillance feeds during an emergency, the
cameras can be utilized in the moment, so first responders, staff and students can make informed
decisions on how to react appropriately. For instance, if you can see who pulled the fire alarm and
where, you can direct staff and students to avoid certain exits or areas of the school when evacuating.
Or, if the person who pulled the alarm is an intruder or dangerous, people can be instructed to instead
lockdown or not proceed with an evacuation. Drills aren’t a thing of the past, but today, it’s no longer
efficient or effective to fully rely on practicing drills as a safety precaution. This means schools need to
implement a holistic safety solution that is flexible, customizable and ready to be utilized at any
moment.
Paraphrased:
To protect their kids and employees, schools have been doing fire drills for more than a century. Over
the course of their time in elementary and secondary schools, some students may take part in more
than 72 fire drills. The purpose of the repetition is to ingrain emergency response techniques in pupils'
consciousness so they can respond quickly. But what if adhering to a practiced plan puts kids in danger
they weren't expecting? Traditional fire drills are no longer the most efficient method of emergency
preparedness due to technological improvements and changing security risks to schools. No matter how
frequently fire drills are conducted, they might not be effective if the real situation differs from
expectations. For instance, even though students and staff are trained to follow fire drill procedures, a
pulled fire alarm does not always signal a fire. This strategy isn't the best in many emergency situations
and might even be dangerous. Students and staff may fill the hallways if a fire alarm is set off by an
intruder, which is the opposite of what should happen in such circumstances. Unfortunately, we have
seen cases where active shooters have taken advantage of fire alarms to lure unsuspecting victims into
the line of fire, as in the Parkland shooting. Schools should prioritize improving situational awareness
both within and outside of their facilities, rather than just concentrating on fire drills, so that they can
make decisions during various circumstances. Establishing the capability to promptly communicate and
disseminate information to all concerned parties is essential to efficient emergency preparedness. To do
this, educational institutions should adopt a situational awareness-based approach to emergencies,
enabling principals, instructors, and other on-site or off-site people to get real-time information about
potential threats and start proper response plans. Schools must put in place a technological system that
can quickly gather and distribute information, like an automated alerting platform, to accomplish this
efficiently. A school's existing, frequently standalone, individual technology systems can be integrated by
an automated alerting platform. A PA system, phones, door access control, cameras, fire panels, and
other devices might be among these technologies. These systems' usefulness can be improved by
connecting them through a single platform. The automated alerting platform, for instance, can keep an
eye on all of these devices and, in the event that a fire alarm is activated, access the live video feed from
adjacent cameras and send out notifications to the appropriate parties, including the principal, the
maintenance staff, and even the fire department. Schools can leverage their current technologies
proactively rather than just reacting to problems by utilizing an automated warning platform. While it is
customary to use security cameras after an issue has happened, pulling live feeds during an emergency
allows first responders, employees, and students to make decisions in real time. Staff and children, for
instance, can be told to avoid particular exits or locations during an evacuation if the cause of a fire alert
is discovered via live video. Alternately, if the person setting off the alarm is an invader, people can be
told to lockdown rather than flee. However, relying entirely on drill practice is no longer efficient or
successful. Drills still have their place in school safety. A comprehensive safety program that is flexible,
scalable, and ready to go in any circumstance must be implemented in schools.
EMERGENCY EDUCATION RESPONSE - PHASE I & II
Original:
USAID-supported temporary learning centers provided an immediate, safe learning environment in the
wake of the April 25 earthquake. After the 2015 earthquakes, the Government of Nepal and partners
estimate that nearly 8,000 public and private schools were destroyed or damaged beyond use. The
extensive damage interrupted the education of over two million children and youth. Many public-school
grounds were used as temporary shelters for displaced communities, which delayed schools from
reopening. Directly following the disaster, Nepal’s school children urgently needed safe learning spaces
to restart their education and prevent exposure to other vulnerabilities such as child labor, human
trafficking, child marriage, and gender-based violence. Additionally, the psychological impact on
children, parents, teachers, and the community needed to be addressed as long breaks from school
could lead to increased dropout rates. Girls and boys experience emergencies differently and are
exposed to a variety of risks if they do not have immediate access to education. Through a $10.6 million,
three-year grant to UNICEF, USAID supports the Ministry of Education to resume education in 14 of the
most-affected districts. [i] In this collaborative effort, USAID and UNICEF provided targeted support
during the critical emergency period and into the stages of early recovery and continues to provide a
strong response to children’s education needs while permanent schools remain under construction.
Phase I of the grant addressed emergency needs over the first year directly following the disaster. It
supported four sub-partner organizations to establish 1,045 Temporary Learning Centers (TLCs) that
provided education to more than 93,000 students, as well as learning materials and school supplies to
over 270,000 children. USAID-supported TLCs included temporary water and sanitation facilities, early
childhood development school supplies, teaching and learning materials, recreational kits, and teacher
training on providing psychosocial support to students and parents. Funding also supported the
coordination of the humanitarian response and information management through the Education
Cluster, and compiling lessons learned from the emergency period. As Nepal now moves toward long-
term reconstruction, Phase II will provide more durable solutions in the recovery stage. Funds will
support the construction of 250 transitional learning structures, made of steel and concrete, with
gender-sensitive water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) facilities; educational and recreational supplies;
training for teachers on childhood psychosocial support, disaster risk management, school safety, and
hygiene promotion; and district and community engagement to facilitate local recovery and
reconstruction efforts. Building on the lessons learned from the emergency response, Phase II will have
an increased focus on community engagement by supporting the local use of data for decision-making
to ensure more durable solutions in the recovery stage.
Paraphrase:
Temporary learning facilities were set up with the assistance of USAID to offer an immediate and secure
learning environment in the wake of the April 25 earthquake. It was projected that almost 8,000 public
and private schools in Nepal were either totally destroyed or rendered useless as a result of the
earthquakes in 2015. Over two million children and teenagers' education were hampered by this
enormous damage. Reopening of schools was delayed since many public-school buildings served as
temporary shelters for displaced communities. For Nepal's schoolchildren to quickly resume their
education and be protected from different threats like child labor, human trafficking, child marriage, and
gender-based violence, safe learning environments have to be quickly made available. Long-term
absences from school may also have a negative psychological impact on kids, parents, teachers, and the
community as a whole, thereby increasing the dropout rate. Boys and girls react to catastrophes
differently and run different dangers when they don't have access to schooling right away. USAID
worked with the Ministry of schooling to restore schooling in 14 of the most seriously impacted areas
with a three-year grant of $10.6 million to UNICEF. In this collaborative effort, USAID and UNICEF
provided targeted aid during the crucial emergency period and the initial phases of rebuilding,
continuing to meet children's educational needs as permanent schools were being rebuilt. The urgent
emergency needs in the year following the disaster were covered in the grant's first phase. Over 93,000
pupils received instruction at the 1,045 Temporary Learning Centers (TLCs) that were established with
the help of four partner organizations, and more than 270,000 kids received school supplies and learning
materials. These TLCs, which were backed by USAID, have temporary restrooms and water supply
systems, educational resources for young children, teaching and learning materials, and recreational
kits, as well as teacher training in giving psychosocial support to both parents and pupils. Additionally,
the money made it easier to compile lessons learned from the disaster phase and coordinate the
humanitarian response and information management through the Education Cluster. Phase II aims to
offer more long-lasting solutions in the recovery phase as Nepal moves towards long-term restoration.
250 steel and concrete transitional learning buildings with gender-sensitive water, sanitation, and
hygiene (WASH) facilities will be built with the help of the grants. Additionally, supplies for education
and entertainment will be offered, and teachers will receive training on topics including catastrophe risk
reduction, school safety, and hygiene promotion. With an emphasis on community participation in data-
driven decision-making, this phase will also concentrate on district and community engagement to
support local recovery and reconstruction efforts, building upon the lessons learned from the
emergency response to ensure long-lasting solutions in the recovery phase.
The obstacles hierarchy of school disaster preparedness implementation in Mount Sinabung area,
Indonesia
Original:
The incidence of natural disasters has an impact on various sectors of life, including the education
sector. Schools as educational facilities are considered vulnerable areas that need handling steps to
reduce disaster risk. As one of the most vulnerable countries to natural disasters, Indonesia already has
several policies and programs from the government to address these problems. However, several
studies have shown that the implementation did not go according to plan. These studies also reveal that
this implementation lies in the local context in which the program or policy is implemented. That is why
the study aims to examine the school disaster preparedness implementation in the Mount Sinabung
area as one of the disaster-prone areas in Indonesia. This research utilizes the Interpretative Structural
Modeling approach to build a hierarchy and classification of obstacles in implementing school disaster
preparedness around that area. Data are collected through a combination of observation, interview, and
survey techniques in 2017 and 2018 that involved a total of 35 participants. The result showed 14 sub-
elements identified as limiting factors of school preparedness implementation in the Mount Sinabung
area. Three elements serve as the first level (or the basis/key element) of the obstacles hierarchy:
Integration of subject, school policy, and school curriculum. Intervention at the base level will trigger
changes and give impact the other upper-four levels of elements. This hierarchy and classification are
relevant to the context of the Mount Sinabung eruption and cannot be applied in other areas. This
research did not measure the numeric data per sub-element in disaster preparedness. Therefore, the
limitations of this study can be directions for future research to examine the implementation in another
area by using numeric data. The results of this study also provide major recommendations to several
stakeholders. The existing policies regarding school disaster preparedness and their implementation
need to be reviewed to improve the result.
Paraphrase:
Natural catastrophes can have an impact on many facets of life, including the educational field. Schools
and other educational institutions are regarded as particularly susceptible areas that call for special
precautions to lower the danger of disasters. Indonesia has implemented government policies and
programs to address these challenges because of its high susceptibility to natural catastrophes. The
execution of these laws and programs, however, has not gone as planned, according to a number of
research. The impact of regional circumstances on the implementation of such initiatives or policies has
also been highlighted by this research. As a result, the objective of this study is to evaluate the state of
school emergency preparedness in the Indonesian disaster-prone Mount Sinabung region. In order to
create a hierarchy and classify barriers to the implementation of school disaster preparedness in the
Mount Sinabung region, this study uses the Interpretative Structural Modeling approach. A total of 35
people participated in a series of observations, interviews, and surveys that were done in 2017 and
2018. In the Mount Sinabung region, the implementation of school readiness was found to be
constrained by 14 sub-elements. The integration of subject matter, school regulations, and the
curriculum were chosen as the fundamental level (or important parts) of the barrier hierarchy. The
remaining four higher levels of the hierarchy of elements would be affected if these core elements
underwent modification. It's vital to remember that this hierarchy and classification are unique to the
Mount Sinabung eruption environment and might not be appropriate in other areas. Additionally, this
study did not quantify data for every component of disaster preparedness, which suggests that future
studies can use quantitative data to examine implementation in various contexts. The findings of this
study also provide important advice to numerous stakeholders. To increase their efficacy, it is necessary
to assess the current policies relating to disaster preparedness at schools and how they are being
implemented.