Latest report from the Department of Education (DepEd) revealed that the number of damaged schools after the destructive 7.0-magnitude quake on Wednesday, July 27, has reached 164.
DepEd, in a press statement issued on Thursday, July 28, disclosed that there are now 164 damaged and 9,539 quake-affected schools in the country after the powerful magnitude 7.0 earthquake on Wednesday. This is relatively higher than the department’s initial report of 8,027 affected and 35 damaged institutions as of July 27.
Meanwhile, the 228.5 million estimated cost of repair and reconstruction of totally and partially damaged classrooms has likewise ballooned to 940 million.
“The Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Service’s (DRRMS) called for a meeting with the National Education Cluster Partners (ECP) to provide updates on the affected schools. Among the response actions done by the ECP are the conduct of rapid assessment of damages and the determination of areas needing psychological first aid,” said DepEd.
The DRRMS then assured the public that it will continue coordinating with DRRM field coordinators to determine the needs of affected learners and educators.
The epicenter of the destructive magnitude 7.0 earthquake was traced three kilometers northwest of Tayum, Abra. It occurred around 8:43 a.m. and was tectonic in origin which means that it was caused by the movement of an active fault near the area.
State seismologists reported that the quake struck huge parts of Luzon including Metro Manila.