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Known for being the Summer Capital of the Philippines, Baguio is located in the heart of the mountains of Benguet. It is an elevated plateau that rises 1500 meters above sea level, giving it an average of 18-20 degrees centigrade climate. It is also a place where tourist attractions such as The Mansion, Camp John Hay, Wright and Burnham Park, and the ever-famous lion head are located. Affordable and readily available fresh fruits and vegetables, delicious strawberry taho, and the Harrison Road night market are only some of the many reasons why this place turned into a popular summer getaway. A lot of us might have already visited and felt the cool Baguio breeze, but what most of us might not know is the scarring story behind the city’s present beauty.
Almost 27 years ago on July 16, 1990, at 4:26 p.m., people there were caught off guard.
An earthquake with a magnitude of 7.7 literally shook people residing in Central Luzon and provinces around the Cordillera Region. It was recorded that the epicenter of the quake was in Nueva Ecija and the shaking lasted for about a minute that resulted to 15 billion worth of damages and a death toll of around 2,412. Among the provinces that were affected, Baguio was the most drastically damaged.
Buildings such as the 6-story building of Christian College collapsed, trapping around 250 students inside it. Rescuers spent days trying to retrieve bodies that were under the ruins of various buildings and about 1000 bodies were recovered and a thousand more people suffered from serious injuries. A few of them were found alive but many of them died of dehydration.
The famous Hyatt Terraces Plaza suffered the most casualties among all commercial buildings, killing 50 people as its terrace fell down to the lobby. Also, the Nevada Hotel was unbelievably ripped in half and the Baguio Park Hotel was a complete wreck. Even the University of Baguio (UB) didn’t survive the quake after the building’s supporting structure crashed to the ground, killing 23 people who were mostly students. Skyworld Condominium, Commercial Center, The Royal Inn, and the Baguio Hilltop Hotel were also destroyed aside from the residential areas that surrounded the whole city.
This disaster traumatized the citizens of Baguio to an extent where they slept outside their houses for fear of being pinned down by huge blocks of cement from infrastructures that could possibly kill them. They never once thought that a place as innocent and as peaceful as Baguio, could have ever experienced such a nightmare.
With everyone’s life at stake, city-wide earthquake drills, such as the Metro Manila Shake Drill, were held on July 22, 2016. It was organized by the Metro Manila Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (MMDRRMC) in its desire to “promote a culture of preparedness among Metro Manila residents” after the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (PHIVOLCS) alerted the public with the possible occurrence of the Big One.
According to the director of PHIVOLCS Renato Solidum, in a news report from the Philippine Star, “The Big One” is a 7.2 earthquake that will arise from the West Valley Fault, predominantly affecting Metro Manila and the provinces surrounding it. In line with this, it was also stated in the report that the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) for PHIVOLCS and the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) conducted a study in 2004 which shows that an earthquake with this magnitude could kill 34,000 people and harm 100,000 individuals.
It only implies that what happened in 1990 is not without a doubt, a possibility here in Metro Manila. And the effects that this potential earthquake have could be even worse, given that cities within the 100-kilometer fault line have more high-rise buildings and infrastructures compared to what was in Baguio back then.
That is why we should all be prepared and knowledgeable enough to be ready in times of sudden calamities like this, even more now that nearly two days ago, an earthquake with a magnitude of 5.4 was felt in different intensities in cities and provinces near Manila. Although no damages and deaths were reported, let it be a wake-up call to prepare us for the uncertainties that might come unexpectedly in our ways.
That is why we all should remember what happened in Baguio. Because it only proves that no one is safe from Mother Earth’s wrath and we are all powerless in choosing our own fate when it’s her turn to decide. We should always be mindful of the fact that earthquakes and other disasters aren’t just a thing of the past but possibilities that can happen right now, in the present, at this time, maybe even while you’re reading this.
We all should remember what happened in Baguio 27 years ago. Because it only proves that no one is safe from Mother Earth’s wrath and we are all powerless in choosing our own fate when it’s her turn to decide. We should always be mindful of the fact that earthquakes and other disasters aren’t just a thing of the past but possibilities that can happen right now, in the present, at this time, maybe even while you’re reading this. //by Jo-ev Guevarra
Sources:
http://www.philstar.com/headlines/2017/02/14/1672066/prepare-big-one
http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/earthquake-wreaks-havoc-in-the-philippines
http://www.philstar.com/nation/2016/11/10/1642404/magnitude-5.0-quake-felt-quezon-metro-manila-tarlac
http://www.cityofpines.com/baguioquake/quake.html
http://www.baguioboard.com/geography.php
http://www.dilgcar.com/index.php/baguio-city
http://ph.rappler.com/campaigns/shakedrill/2016/
http://www.phivolcs.dost.gov.ph/html/update_SOEPD/2017_Earthquake_Information/April/2017_0404_1258_B1HYDRA.html
Feature: Recalling the Last ‘Big One’
Known for being the Summer Capital of the Philippines, Baguio is located in the heart of the mountains of Benguet. It is an elevated plateau that rises 1500 meters above sea level, giving it an average of 18-20 degrees centigrade climate. It is also a place where tourist attractions such as The Mansion, Camp John Hay, Wright and Burnham Park, and the ever-famous lion head are located. Affordable and readily available fresh fruits and vegetables, delicious strawberry taho, and the Harrison Road night market are only some of the many reasons why this place turned into a popular summer getaway. A lot of us might have already visited and felt the cool Baguio breeze, but what most of us might not know is the scarring story behind the city’s present beauty.
Almost 27 years ago on July 16, 1990, at 4:26 p.m., people there were caught off guard.
An earthquake with a magnitude of 7.7 literally shook people residing in Central Luzon and provinces around the Cordillera Region. It was recorded that the epicenter of the quake was in Nueva Ecija and the shaking lasted for about a minute that resulted to 15 billion worth of damages and a death toll of around 2,412. Among the provinces that were affected, Baguio was the most drastically damaged.
Buildings such as the 6-story building of Christian College collapsed, trapping around 250 students inside it. Rescuers spent days trying to retrieve bodies that were under the ruins of various buildings and about 1000 bodies were recovered and a thousand more people suffered from serious injuries. A few of them were found alive but many of them died of dehydration.
The famous Hyatt Terraces Plaza suffered the most casualties among all commercial buildings, killing 50 people as its terrace fell down to the lobby. Also, the Nevada Hotel was unbelievably ripped in half and the Baguio Park Hotel was a complete wreck. Even the University of Baguio (UB) didn’t survive the quake after the building’s supporting structure crashed to the ground, killing 23 people who were mostly students. Skyworld Condominium, Commercial Center, The Royal Inn, and the Baguio Hilltop Hotel were also destroyed aside from the residential areas that surrounded the whole city.
This disaster traumatized the citizens of Baguio to an extent where they slept outside their houses for fear of being pinned down by huge blocks of cement from infrastructures that could possibly kill them. They never once thought that a place as innocent and as peaceful as Baguio, could have ever experienced such a nightmare.
With everyone’s life at stake, city-wide earthquake drills, such as the Metro Manila Shake Drill, were held on July 22, 2016. It was organized by the Metro Manila Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (MMDRRMC) in its desire to “promote a culture of preparedness among Metro Manila residents” after the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (PHIVOLCS) alerted the public with the possible occurrence of the Big One.
According to the director of PHIVOLCS Renato Solidum, in a news report from the Philippine Star, “The Big One” is a 7.2 earthquake that will arise from the West Valley Fault, predominantly affecting Metro Manila and the provinces surrounding it. In line with this, it was also stated in the report that the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) for PHIVOLCS and the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) conducted a study in 2004 which shows that an earthquake with this magnitude could kill 34,000 people and harm 100,000 individuals.
It only implies that what happened in 1990 is not without a doubt, a possibility here in Metro Manila. And the effects that this potential earthquake have could be even worse, given that cities within the 100-kilometer fault line have more high-rise buildings and infrastructures compared to what was in Baguio back then.
That is why we should all be prepared and knowledgeable enough to be ready in times of sudden calamities like this, even more now that nearly two days ago, an earthquake with a magnitude of 5.4 was felt in different intensities in cities and provinces near Manila. Although no damages and deaths were reported, let it be a wake-up call to prepare us for the uncertainties that might come unexpectedly in our ways.
That is why we all should remember what happened in Baguio. Because it only proves that no one is safe from Mother Earth’s wrath and we are all powerless in choosing our own fate when it’s her turn to decide. We should always be mindful of the fact that earthquakes and other disasters aren’t just a thing of the past but possibilities that can happen right now, in the present, at this time, maybe even while you’re reading this.
We all should remember what happened in Baguio 27 years ago. Because it only proves that no one is safe from Mother Earth’s wrath and we are all powerless in choosing our own fate when it’s her turn to decide. We should always be mindful of the fact that earthquakes and other disasters aren’t just a thing of the past but possibilities that can happen right now, in the present, at this time, maybe even while you’re reading this. //by Jo-ev Guevarra
Sources:
http://www.philstar.com/headlines/2017/02/14/1672066/prepare-big-one
http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/earthquake-wreaks-havoc-in-the-philippines
http://www.philstar.com/nation/2016/11/10/1642404/magnitude-5.0-quake-felt-quezon-metro-manila-tarlac
http://www.cityofpines.com/baguioquake/quake.html
http://www.baguioboard.com/geography.php
http://www.dilgcar.com/index.php/baguio-city
http://ph.rappler.com/campaigns/shakedrill/2016/
http://www.phivolcs.dost.gov.ph/html/update_SOEPD/2017_Earthquake_Information/April/2017_0404_1258_B1HYDRA.html
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