MATI CITY, Davao Oriental (MindaNews /16 Oct) — Ten buildings here have been marked “unsafe” for occupancy due of the “doublet” earthquakes and a series of aftershocks that rocked Davao Oriental since Friday last week, the City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (CDRRMO) reported.
Among those given the “red” label in the “post-earthquake rapid assessment” report of the CDRRMO as of Oct. 14 were buildings of the Mati Water District, Bureau of Fire Protection, a convention center, a barangay hall, four public schools and a private school.
CDRRMO head Charlemagne C. Bagasol told MindaNews in an interview Wednesday that assessment of infrastructures in the whole city — which is about 70 kilometers away from Manay (the municipality closest to the epicenter of the offshore earthquakes) — may take two weeks or even longer because the agencies involved are ensuring that they perform “quality assessments.”
Of those already investigated as of Tuesday, 19 buildings were tagged “yellow” or “restricted,” and 75 were tagged “green” or “safe.”
She said that those in the red category are strictly prohibited for occupancy, while those labeled yellow have rooms that are prohibited from use. Those tagged as green meant the buildings are safe for occupancy, Bagasol said.
The other buildings considered as “unsafe” are the DT Building of the Immaculate Heart of Mary Academy, the A57 Convention Center, an old building of the Macambol Elementary School, a two-story classroom of the Macambol National High School, buildings of the Mamali Elementary School and the Ytac Elementary School, a two-story structure in the fish port, and the barangay hall of Don Martin Marundan.
Damage noted include collapsed walls or cracks on the wall, cracks on the structural columns, separation of columns and walls, dilapidated ceilings, and damaged stairs.
Bagasol added they are still continuing their assessments of the other buildings, prioritizing those in “critical areas,” including hospitals, clinics, “panakan” centers, schools, the Davao Oriental Electric Cooperative, and government buildings.
As of 8 a.m. Thursday, the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) reported a total of 1,464 aftershocks following the “doublet” earthquakes Friday last week.
(Razl EJ Teman / MindaNews)
