{"id":729,"date":"2026-06-12T07:39:07","date_gmt":"2026-06-12T07:39:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/topmovingpross.com\/?p=729"},"modified":"2026-06-12T07:39:07","modified_gmt":"2026-06-12T07:39:07","slug":"disaster-drills-helped-prevent-more-deaths-when-powerful-quake-hit-the-southern-philippines","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/topmovingpross.com\/?p=729","title":{"rendered":"Disaster drills helped prevent more deaths when powerful quake hit the southern Philippines"},"content":{"rendered":"
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MANILA, Philippines (AP) \u2014 Philippine officials said Friday that years of disaster-preparedness drills helped prevent a larger casualty toll when one of the strongest earthquakes<\/span> in 50 years struck the south and left 55 people dead with 31 others missing.<\/p>\n

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The 7.8 magnitude offshore quake, which struck Monday off Sarangani province, injured about 1,120 people and displaced more than 45,000 people, about half them still in emergency shelters, after the quake damaged more than 12,600 houses across farming towns and cities.<\/p>\n

Many were still too traumatized to return home because of strong aftershocks, officials said.<\/p>\n

Days after the earthquake hit, more videos of the chaotic moments have been posted on social media showing horrified crowds witnessing the collapse of small buildings, and flag-raising ceremonies turning chaotic when the ground started to shake on the first day of school after a long summer break.<\/p>\n

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Students are seen on videos screaming in panic, but staying seated or standing still outside school buildings, with some covering their heads with their hands as teachers admonished them to calm down.<\/p>\n

One video, which has gone viral on Facebook with millions of views, showed dozens of grade-schoolers screaming and breaking into tears as they sat on a tree-ringed school ground, which visibly swayed them from side to side. A tin roof shed nearby later collapsed with a loud thud, prompting many to dash away, but were asked by teachers to return and stay seated.<\/p>\n

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The grade school in the coastal town of Malita in Davao Occidental province reported no injuries from the quake.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis incident serves as a reminder of the importance of earthquake preparedness and the value of regular disaster response drills,\u201d the Mahayahay elementary school said in a statement.<\/p>\n

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Teresito Bacolcol, director of the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology, said years of disaster-preparedness drills helped people anticipate and brace for extreme events like Monday\u2019s quake, one of the strongest to hit the archipelago in a half-century.<\/p>\n

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He said that it was also fortunate that the quake hit at 7:37 a.m., a few minutes before work and classes were to start indoors.<\/p>\n

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