The Philippine government will send immediate help to Turkey that saw its southeastern part hit by a magnitude 7.8 earthquake on Monday morning.

President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. also extended his deepest sympathies to the victims and condolences to the families of the earthquake’s casualties

The Office of the Civil Defense (OCD) is already coordinating with concerned agencies to deploy Emergency Medical and Urban Search and Rescue Teams that will assist Turkey in rescue and retrieval operations.

The earthquake with a depth of 17.9 kilometers was also felt in Syria, Cyprus, and Lebanon, causing injuries and 95 deaths as well as damaging several buildings.

Turkey is one of the most active earthquake zones in the world and the Philippines being part of the Pacific Ring of Fire can also experience the same magnitude of earthquake. Hence, the OCD continues to remind the public to remain “prepared, alert and well informed” in case of an eventuality.

As part of the preparation for earthquakes, National Simultaneous Earthquake Drills (NSED) are being conducted every quarter. For this year, it is scheduled on March 9 for the first quarter, June 8 for the second quarter, September 7 for the third quarter, and November 9 for the last quarter of 2023.

This is to prepare the whole nation to ‘duck, cover, and hold’ and familiarize emergency response activities to lessen the effects and avoid casualties during strong earthquakes.

CurrentPH News Service