Mandaue City installs earthquake warning devices in buildings, offices

The alarm panel of the Air Red Siren installed at the Mandaue City Hall.| 📸: Mary Rose Sagarino

MANDAUE CITY, Philippines — The Mandaue City Government has installed Air Red Sirens (ARS) in some of its buildings and offices for earthquake warnings.

The sound will be modified later for different kinds of natural disasters.

ARS has been installed at the Mandaue City Hall and parking building, and another is scheduled to be installed at the City Social Welfare and Services Office.

Buddy Alain Ybañez, head of the City Disaster Risk Reduction Management Office, said they aim to install ARS in all government buildings.

They activated the ARS at the city hall and parking building on Monday, July 1, during the opening of National Resilience Month.

Ybañez said they also plan to install ARS in all of the city’s 27 barangays.

The CDRRMO head explained that these will be activated whenever there is an earthquake, warning the residents.

ARS produces a loud sound to warn the general population of the danger.

“Kana ron generally para pa gyud na sa earthquake. Once makadungog sila anang long nga siren, is you dock, cover, and hold then once mahuman na na ang tingog sa siren, usa pa sila motindog ug mogawas sa ilang gitagoan dayun slowly padung sa ila identified evacuation,” said Ybañez.

The ARS is manually activated by pressing the red button, but CDRRMO has also connected it to their command center.

“Atoang gibuhat is redundancy gyud na sila. If ever mo fail ang atoang siren nga electonic, so naa tay Air Red Siren,” he said.

As part of the celebration of National Resilience Month, the CDRRMO also distributed tarpaulins and conducted information and education campaigns in barangays regarding preparedness measures for earthquakes, landslides, flooding, and fires, among others.

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