QUEZON CITY (PIA) -- The Philippine government will send immediate help to the people of Turkey after a magnitude of 7.8 shook the southeastern part of the country on Monday, February 6, morning.

President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. extends his deepest sympathies to the victims and condolences to the families of casualties and pledges to extend all necessary help.

The Office of the Civil Defense (OCD) is already coordinating with concerned agencies to deploy Emergency Medical and Urban Search and Rescue Teams that will assist Turkey in rescue and retrieval operations.

The earthquake with a depth of 17.9 kilometers has also been felt in Syria, Cyprus, and Lebanon causing injuries and 95 deaths based on initial reports as well as damaging several buildings.

Turkey is one of the most active earthquake zones in the world and the Philippines being part of the Pacific Ring of Fire can also experience the same magnitude of earthquake. Hence, the OCD continues to remind the public to remain “prepared, alert and well informed” in case of an eventuality.

As part of the preparation for earthquakes, National Simultaneous Earthquake Drills (NSED) are being conducted every quarter. For this year, it is scheduled on March 9 for the first quarter, June 8 for the second quarter, September 7 for the third quarter, and November 9 for the last quarter of 2023.

This is to prepare the whole nation to ‘duck, cover, and hold’ and familiarize emergency response activities to lessen the effects and avoid casualties.

In case of an earthquake scenario, follow these safety tips:

• Once you start to feel the shake, check your environment and stay away from shelves or anything that may fall or glass that may shutter;
• Duck under a sturdy table, cover your head, and hold until the shake stops; and
• Once it is safe to go out, grab your GO Bags, wear a hard hat or protective gear to cover your head from falling debris, and evacuate to a safe place.

It pays to be prepared and the national government is doing its best to inform and equip Filipinos to survive natural hazards.  (KSAA – PIA CPSD)