EDSA to come to a standstill for #MMShakeDrill

EDSA is expected to come to a standstill tomorrow, Wednesday, June 22, as the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) is geared to hold the second staging of the Metro Manila Shake Drill.

"(W)e are appealing to motorists and the riding public to please bear with us. This drill is meant to save lives in the event of the 'Big One'," MMDA Chairman Emerson Carlos earlier said.

Among the various simulations to be conducted will be the collapse of the Guadalupe Bridge in Makati caused by a 7.2 magnitude earthquake.

The outermost northbound lane of EDSA will also be put to a standstill for about an hour, during which the government's disaster contingency plan—Oplan Metro Yakal Plus—will be tested.

According to Risk Reduction Undersecretary Alexander Pama, the objective of the Oplan is to "avoid an organized confusion" during a catastrophic eqarthquake, given each agency has already been tasked respective roles and responsibilities.

Container vans will also be set up in the four quadrants of Metro Manila during the drill to serve as command and control centers to facilitate the deployment of resources and rescue personnel.

These will be located at the Light Right Transit Line 2 (LRT-2) Santolan station, Veterans' Memorial Medical Center, Villamor Airbase, and the Intramuros Golf Course in Manila.

The MMDA has already invited the public to take part in the #MMShakeDrill, after posting a video on Facebook featuring two of its officers dancing to Peachers and Herb's "Shake Your Groove Thing."

Aside from the drill in Metro Manila, the second Nationwide Simaultaneous Earthquake Drill (NSED) will also be conducted on Wednesday in cooperation with other government agencies.

"Kami sa national (level), we will be providing resources that the regions could not provide," he said in a separate statement, noting that the public will learn more than the "duck, cover, hold" during the drill. — TJD, GMA News