THE Bacolod City government conducts rapid damage assessment on Wednesday, Oct. 1, following the Cebu earthquake that was also felt in Negros Island Region (NIR) on Tuesday night, Sept. 30. (Bacolod City Communications Office)
BACOLOD CITY – This highly-urbanized city conducted a rapid damage assessment on Wednesday, Oct. 1, following the 6.9-tremor in Cebu province that was also felt in Negros Island Region (NIR) on Tuesday night, Sept. 30.
The team led by Dr. Laarni Pornan, head of the City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (CDRRMO), and City Engr. Loben Rafael Ceballos inspected the Bacolod City Government Center (BCGC).
Mayor Greg Gasataya, in a Facebook post, suspended work in government offices on Wednesday, except for those providing basic, vital, and health services, as well as those performing preparedness and response functions.
A meeting was immediately conducted to discuss the measures and assessment procedures after the tremor.
After the inspection, Pornan declared that the BCGC building is safe for occupancy and no major damages were noted.
Ceballos said the BCGC building has a seismic gap, which mitigates the impact of an earthquake to the structure.
Assessment is ongoing in other government buildings, including schools and health offices, and infrastructure projects.
Face-to-face classes on all levels in public and private schools in this city were also suspended on Wednesday upon the recommendation of the CDRRMO following the earthquake.
Schools were encouraged to shift to synchronous and alternative modes of online learning.
Private establishments and offices here were strongly encouraged to conduct rapid damage assessment and needs analysis to safeguard the safety and welfare of their employees.