Heavy traffic expected in QC starting 2 p.m. due to quake drill

Motorists are being warned from hitting the road between 2 to 5 p.m. at any point in Quezon City on Thursday as it plays host to the first Nationwide Simultaneous Earthquake Drill (NSED) of 2018.

In a statement, the Quezon City NSED Incident Management Team said that all traffic will be temporarily stopped once the earthquake simulation drill begins at 2 p.m.

All drills are part of the Metro Manila Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council's Oplan Metro Yakal, the metropolis' disaster and contingency plan for the expected movement of the West Valley Fault.

Quezon City Hall and other government buildings around Elliptical Road will be evacuated for the drill and its occupants will be made to move inside the Quezon Memorial Circle.

Emergency vehicles, heavy equipment, and trucks will also be moved out of the QMC to simulate common earthquake scenarios.

A massive evacuation drill will also be conducted in Eastwood City and communities around Libis along C-5 Road as Libis is one of many barangays in Quezon City located on top of the Qest Valley Fault.

"Casualties" from the drills at QMC will be taken to Quezon City General Hospital in Project 8 to simulate a "hospital surge" scenario.

Veterans Memorial Medical Center along North Avenue will also play host to emergency and military vehicles as the incident command post of the North Quadrant of Oplan Metro Yakal.

Schools, malls, and various establishments are expected to join the emergency drills.

“We apologize for the inconvenience caused by the drill but the public should also understand the need to hold this exercise,” Ares Gutierrez, public information officer of the drill’s Incident Management Team in Quezon City, said.

Scientists predict that a magnitude-7.2 earthquake called "The Big One" will be generated by the West Valley Fault and cause 35,000 casualties, 115,000 injuries, and level 170,000 buildings. —Rie Takumi/LBG/KG, GMA News