An official of the Office of the Civil Defense 11 (OCD 11) advised residents whose houses are built above the Dacudao fault line to strengthen their structures so as not to be easily destroyed during an earthquake.
“Gusto namo ipahibalo sa mga residente nga maapeektuhan sa fault nga ang ilang mga gambalay naa sa ibabaw sa fault line and that they have to strengthen, reinforce their structures, and they have to also know asa ang pinakaduol na evacuation center,” said Karlo Alexei Puerto, information officer of OCD 11 during the AFP PNP Press Corps media briefing at the Royal Mandaya Hotel on Wednesday.
The fault line beneath the houses was found during the Walk-the-Fault activity in Barangays Catalunan Pequeño, Santo Niño, and Tugbok Proper on Monday.
The OCD 11, together with Department of Science and Technology – Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (DOST-PHIVOLCS), and the Davao City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office, is conducting a three-day long Information Education Campaign (IEC) and Walk-the-Fault activity in Barangays Catalunan Pequeño, Santo Niño and Tugbok Proper.
The team aims to identify and mark the location of the Dacudao fault in the said barangays and raise the awareness of the communities to better respond to natural hazards such as earthquakes.
“Objective of the walk the fault is not just for the marking kung asa nilapos ang Dacudao fault. Dacudao fault is at least 18 kilometers gikan sa may Tugbok panaog sa Pequeño. Sa karon man gud dili na nato sila mapahawa kay existing na ang structures nila but what we can do now is existing naman ang structure,” Puerto said.
In 2015, the hazard maps of Davao City were released with updated traces of the Central Davao Fault System including the Dacudao fault and residents have no idea that their houses have faults underneath.
“Advice namo sa ilaha is to check the integrity of their structure every after the earthquake and kung puwede wala pay linog i-check ilahang balay if compliant sa national building code,” Puerto said.
DOST – PHIVOLCS identified the fault system of Davao City, which is composed of Tamugan fault, Lacson fault, Dacudao fault, Pangyan-Biao Escuela fault, and New Carmen fault that may produce earthquakes greater than magnitude 6.5.
Affected barangays in the Dacudao fault line are Talomo River, Lamanan, Lacson, Dacudao, Calinan Riverside, Catalunan Pequeño, Catalunan Grande, Ula, Los Amigos, Tugbok, Mintal, Sto Niño, and Talomo.
