Local governments train on earthquake assessment software

By LITO RULONA
Correspondent .

Several local government officials in Misamis Oriental commended the program called Redas (Rapid Earthquake Damage Assessment System), a software developed by the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Philvolcs) under a Department of Science and Technology project.

In a seminar-workshop which started last Monday, Dr. Josefino S. Bascug, a registered environmental planner and head of Misamis Oriental Provincial Planning and Development said the workshop was a total gain to all towns and provinces.

“We should be ready and be prepared in planning to respond in case of disasters,” he said.

Misamis Oriental hosts this training for Provincial Planning and Development Coordinators and Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Offices of Western Mindanao provinces by the Redas Team of DOST-Philvolcs.

He said the software can simulate earthquake hazards such as ground shaking, liquefaction, landslides, and tsunami. The software can also compute earthquake impacts in terms of physical damage, casualties, and economic loss.

“Although Redas was originally conceived for use in earthquake hazard and impact assessment, other multi-hazard maps including hydrometeorological hazards such as floods, storm surge, and rain-induced landslides are already incorporated into the software and can likewise be displayed by users. Participants are also taught how to develop their own exposure database using android application. Redas was developed by Philvolcs and is now being shared to local government units as a tool for emergency preparedness, contingency planning and more importantly for mainstreaming disaster risk reduction into the local development planning process,” he added.

Seventy-One provinces, 21 cities/towns, 30 state universities and colleges, 67 private companies, 10 non-government organizations, and five government institutions were trained on the use of the Redas software.