Mocking earthquakes and Nature

My wife recently came across some comments on social media about an earthquake that shook parts of Metro Manila and Batangas a few months ago, April if I’m not mistaken. And she could not believe what she was reading.

The comments include: “Lindol: Ba’t di kita naramdaman?”; “Magparamdam ka, Lindol!”; and other such comments poking fun at the temblor as if they were daring the Earth to move more than that. They might not have felt the earthquake in their part of the country but could have been a disaster for some people in other parts.

Such insensitivity! And these are from young people that might not have had the pleasure of experiencing the July 16, 1990 earthquake which, compared to the earthquakes of late, may shake the ground a bit but not elicit awe and later, terror, as was the experience during those horrifying 45 seconds of the ground shifting violently in all directions.

As a matter of background for the “innocent” and “doubting” youth of today regarding the event 26 years ago, the July 1990 earthquake was an incredible magnitude 7.8 and a maximum intensity of IX, read: Violent!

The long temblor produced a 125-kilometer long ground rupture that stretched from Dingalan, Aurora Province to Cuyapo, Nueva Ecija and caused damage within an area of about 20,000 square kilometers, from the Cordillera Administrative Region in Northern Luzon through Central Luzon and was strongly felt in Metro Manila.

So, the earthquake shook nearly the entire island of Luzon and caused damage to property and death. More than 2,000 people died, 1,000 missing, and more than 3,000 were injured in the said event.

So the recent earthquakes that we have been experiencing, an average of magnitude 5 on the Richter Scale, pale in comparison to the July 1990 event which has been listed as the second deadliest earthquake in the country since people started recording earthquakes in 1600s.

I was on coverage then in San Fernando, Pampanga as a fledgling photojournalist for The Angeles Sun when the earthquake occurred. We had to hold on to the table but it had little of the desired effect to stay still as the whole building was shaking as well. People ran wobblingly outside of the buildings beside ours. Women fell on their knees and started praying and crying and the trees in the background were swinging from side to side.

I will never forget that sight. The only problem was, I was just starting in my journalism career then and I merely watched them, failing to take pictures as I totally forgot about the camera I was carrying at that time. I only realized that when my editors then, Ambassador Elmer Cato, Kiko Sison, Councilor Jay Sangil, and Titus Toledo, asked for pictures. (This will elicit laughter from them when they read about this.)

Aside from rousing fear in the hearts and minds of the people, the earthquake also taught government officials valuable lessons in disaster preparedness. It was after this event that disaster readiness plans and programs were crafted for earthquakes, among which includes: informing the public on how to respond properly during earthquakes; simulation of hazards and their effects; careful land use planning and proper implementation of building codes; and, the need for trained search and rescue groups and medical responders.

Which brings me to a point to ponder: I think everyone may have noticed that earthquakes are occurring quite frequently in the country. The latest, as of this writing, occurred 13 kilometers from Ormoc City, Leyte.

This is because the Philippines is the third most disaster-prone country in the world as it is located along the Pacific Ocean’s “Ring of Fire” and has five (5) major fault lines making it vulnerable to disasters such as earthquakes.

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I recently ran into some comments myself on social media about the recent disaster summit held in Pampanga in preparation for the dreaded “Big One” that is expected to affect a wide part if not the entirety of Metro Manila, from Bulacan to Muntinlupa.

Based on the movement of the tectonic plates along the Philippine Fault Line, one report showed an “exact” number of fatalities and injuries in Bulacan and Pampanga should The Big One occur.

The people in the thread started making fun of the report, going as far as asking government officials, led by Pampanga Governor Lilia Pineda and Phivolcs Director Renato Solidum, to name the fatalities since they know the exact number.

I replied by saying that this is the purpose of the summit: for the people to prepare for any eventuality since as one of the people in the thread pointed out, despite advances in technology, the occurrence of earthquakes still cannot be predicted accurately.

I also cited the eruption of Pinatubo which, despite monitoring by Phivolcs of emissions and earthquakes at the volcano, could not accurately predict the exact date and time it will erupt.

I pointed out that Nature is as unpredictable as it is fantastic and wonderful. These so-called “disasters” as we call them are in actuality natural occurrences, activities that have been happening on Earth even before there was Man and that have shaped the world we now live in.
They only became disasters when Man started building structures that were destroyed everytime a natural event occurred, such as a flood, heavy rains brought about by storms, tidal waves, and earthquakes, among others.

So it is Man who should adjust to Nature because it was us who intruded into these natural occurrences. It is us who should move out of the way of these areas, which we can ask about, because when Nature moves, we could get hurt if we’re in the wrong place.

So all we can do is prepare for any eventuality. And pray.

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