I.

Highlights

On Monday 22 April at 17:11 local time, the National Philippine Institute of Volcanology and
Seismology (PHIVOLKS) reported1 a 6.1 magnitude, 10km deep, earthquake, with its epicentre
18km NE of Castillejos, Zambales, Central Luzon, Region 3. The epicentre was a relatively
mountainous area close to Mount Pinatubo volcano. Central Luzon was the hardest-hit region and
Pampanga the hardest-hit province. Pampanga has been placed under a state of calamity. Based on
preliminary intensity reports, the strongest ground shaking was felt at PHIVOLCS Earthquake
Intensity Scale VI (Very Strong) in parts of Pampanga and Intensity V (Strong) was felt in parts
as far away as Metro Manila (174km) causing many businesses, schools and residential properties
to be evacuated.

As of 25 April, the National Disaster Rick Reduction Council (NDRRMC) reported2 the following
impact:

• There were 18 dead, 282 injured, and seven missing. Most of the dead and injured are from a
collapsed supermarket in the Municipality of Porac, Pampanga. Search and rescue operations are
still ongoing for the persons missing in the collapsed supermarket.

• Affected families: Total 3,205 families i.e. 14,901 individuals were affected in 13 municipalities
(nine cities in Pampanga, one in Zambales and three in Bataan).

• Damaged houses: Total 1,230 houses were damaged (156 totally damaged and 1,074 partially
damaged) in Bataan and Pampanga.

• Damaged public buildings: Total 138 buildings were damaged and most of them were schools.

• Earthquake induced landslide was reported in Mt. Bimmukel, Sitio Lomibao Brgy, Zambales and
120 families were evacuated and provided relief.

• Infrastructure: Flights to and from Clark airport were temporarily cancelled as part of the terminal
building ceiling. Railway operations were temporarily halted on Monday – including the LRT in
Metro Manila.

• Lifelines: Power outages hit several provinces, including Pangasinan, Pampanga, La Union, and
Bataan.
Power restoration is targeted within the week.

• Estimated cost of earthquake damage is PHP 505,920,000.

As of 25 April, the NDRRMC reported4 the following impact:

• There were 40 injured and no dead and no missing.

• Affected families: Total 93 families i.e. 372 individuals were affected in 18 communities from
seven municipalities (two cities in Easter Samar and five in Western Samar).

• Damaged houses: Total 92 houses were damaged (four totally damaged and 88 partially
damaged) in Eastern Samar and Western Samar.

• Damaged public buildings: It is reported that several health, education and commercial structure
are damaged. A medical centre was partially damaged in Tacloban.

• Infrastructure: three roads and three bridges were affected in Eastern Samar.

• Lifelines: Power outages hit on in Visayas, Borongan and Eastern Samar including Northern
Samar

II. Problems

CASUALTIES. Rescuers recover victims from the collapsed Chuzon Supermarket in Porac,
Pampanga, past midnight on April 23, 2019. Photo by Lisa Marie David/Rappler
Pampanga is the hardest-hit province. It has been placed under a state of calamity.

Extent of the damage

The NDRRMC said at least 29 buildings and other structures sustained damage. The Clark
International Airport was among the damaged structures.

The government has yet to give an estimated cost of damage. But at the Clark International
Airport alone, the earthquake caused around P30 million in damage, said Transportation
Secretary Arthur Tugade.

Effect on transportation

Flights to and from Clark were canceled. Railway operations were temporarily halted on
Monday.

Number coding was lifted for public utility vehicles in Metro Manila on Tuesday, to ensure
commuters would not get stranded. (READ: Filipinos tweet scenes from magnitude 6.1
earthquake in Luzon)

Effect on classes and work

Classes were suspended in several areas and schools both on Monday and Tuesday.

For Tuesday, Malacañang suspended work for government employees in Metro Manila,
while the Senate and the House of Representatives also ordered their own suspensions. The
Supreme Court suspended work in all courts in Metro Manila and Central Luzon as well.

Impact on businesses

Trade Secretary Ramon Lopez told reporters on Tuesday that the Department of Trade and
Industry (DTI) will release a report on damage and disruption in business operations in
earthquake-hit areas.

As for consumer protection, Lopez said the DTI's price monitoring team will check groceries,
supermarkets, and public markets in case prices are jacked up during panic buying.

Power situation

Power outages hit several provinces, including Pangasinan, Pampanga, La Union, and Bataan.
The National Grid Corporation of the Philippines placed the Luzon grid under red and yellow
alerts.
Power restoration is targeted within the week.

III. Recommendation
Earthquake preparedness is a set of measures taken at the individual, organisational and
societal level to minimise the effects of an earthquake.

Preparedness can consist of survival measures, preparation that will improve survival in the
event of an earthquake, or mitigating measures, that seek to minimise the effect of an earthquake.
Common survival measures include storing food and water for an emergency, and educating
individuals what to do during an earthquake.[2] Mitigating measures can include firmly securing
large items of furniture (such as bookcases and large cabinets), TV and computer screens that
may otherwise fall over in an earthquake. Likewise, avoiding storing items above beds or sofas
reduces the chance of objects falling on individuals.

Building codes in earthquake prone areas may have specific requirements designed to increase
new buildings' resistance to earthquakes. Older buildings and homes that are not up to code may
be modified to increase their resistance. Modification and earthquake resistant design are also
employed in elevated freeways and bridges.
Codes are not designed to make buildings earthquake proof in the sense of them suffering zero
damage. The goal of most building designs is to reduce earthquake damage to a building such
that it protects the lives of occupants and thus tolerance of some limited damage is accepted and
considered a necessary tradeoff. A supplement or precursor to retrofitting can be the
implementation of earthquake proof furniture.
Structures designed to protect buildings from earthquakes. While no structure can be entirely
immune to damage from earthquakes, the goal of earthquake-resistant construction is to erect
structures that fare better during seismic activity than their conventional counterparts. According
to building codes, earthquake-resistant structures are intended to withstand the largest earthquake
of a certain probability that is likely to occur at their location.This means the loss of life should
be minimized by preventing collapse of the buildings for rare earthquakes while the loss of the
functionality should be limited for more frequent ones.

IV. Reference
https://reliefweb.int/report/philippines/philippines-earthquakes-information-bulletin-1

https://www.rappler.com/nation/228731-death-toll-luzon-earthquake-april-22-2019

https://www.imaginationstationtoledo.org/educator/activities/can-you-build-an-earthquake-proof-
building

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Earthquake_preparedness
 CASE STUDY:

APRIL 23-25 2019 Earthquake in Philippines

(EARTHQUAKE ENGINEERING)

LACUARIN, ARWIN F.
BSCE-V
APRIL 29, 2019