CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY – In the aftermath of the Magnitude 6.9 earthquake that struck Cebu province, the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) urged local government units (LGUs) nationwide to adopt advanced disaster preparedness technologies developed by its partner institutions.

Speaking on October 3 at the close of the Regional Science and Technology Week in Oroquieta City, Misamis Occidental, DOST Secretary Renato Solidum Jr. said earthquakes cannot be predicted but their impacts can be mitigated.

"We already have tools and technologies to assess risks and reduce potential loss of life and property,” he said.

Solidum highlighted accessible technologies designed to aid LGUs and the public in disaster risk reduction and management: 
   
– HazardHunterPH: A one-stop platform for multi-hazard assessment that provides data on various natural risks;
– How Safe is My House?: A mobile application that allows homeowners to self-assess the structural safety of their homes against earthquakes;
– GeoRiskPH: A geospatial data system that provides accurate hazard and risk assessments;
– Project OMEGA (Deterministic Ground Shaking and Earthquake-Induced Landslide Hazard Modeling Using Geophysics, Remote Sensing, and Artificial Intelligence): Designed to help citizens better understand their exposure to hazards such as fault lines, flood zones, and tsunami risks;
– REDAS (Rapid Earthquake Damage Assessment System): A software tool for simulating and estimating the potential impacts of earthquakes immediately after they occur.

Misamis Occidental Governor Henry Oaminal expressed his enthusiasm for the “game-changing” technologies. 

He committed to organize province-wide training for all DRRM stakeholders, particularly in the cities of Oroquieta, Ozamiz and Tangub.

“We are lucky that there are no identified fault lines in our province, but that should not make us complacent,” he said. 

DOST PHOTO