Manila topped the list of vulnerable cities in the event a “Big One” or a major disaster strikes in Metro Manila, a study conducted by the Japan International Cooperation Agency showed.
But Mayor Joseph Estrada said his city is prepared for any calamity as the local government has come up with a contingency plans and disaster-readiness measure to prevent or lessen the number of casualty.
“The essence of disaster and crisis management is planning what to do, and how to execute these actions, even without knowing when all these preparations will be necessary,” said Estrada, addressing the 2,500 delegates who attended the 2nd Manila Disaster and Crisis Management Conference in Pasay City.
The three-day event follows on the accomplishments of the 1st Conference held in October 2014 which delved on disaster preparedness, mitigation and immediate response. This year’s event equips participants with knowledge on how to rebuild communities after an onslaught of earthquakes, typhoons or other calamities.
“As our city rose from the bankruptcy, we invested heavily in equipment, machines and vehicles that can be used immediately when disaster strikes. Our plans also include the purchase of a long range public address system, weather forecasting system, a mobile command and control vehicle and more ambulances,” said Estrada.