Are we ready?

With the Haitti and Chile earthquake causing a lot of damages not just into properties but also lives I begin to wonder, Is the Philippines ready for a massive earthquake.

During one of my class session in foundation engineering, we discussed about the earthquake that happened to Dagupan. My proffessor said it was like a warzone after the quake happened. Almost everything crumpled to ground. What was reaaly the cause? With a silty sand type soil the ground turned into a semi liquid behaviour, called “liquifaction”. Without a good foundation support some building had the first floor turned into basement. With only a building surviving the chaos (thanks to the pile supports) a general construction was called for future.

Most building in Manila are built without a plan. They are just merely a “rule of thumb” built by some carpenters with their construction knowledge. Ever heard of the thypoon that struck the metro? Most billboard are leveled becasue of poor construction method and the lack of knowledge about wind forces. Some old building are still occupied by some . Even with a visual inspection these buildings are not safe for residency. With the columns cracks and the slabs, no wonder a tiny shake will rupture this building causing a lot of casualties. They did some repairs, plastering cements to the cracks, but this wont help, as the building part acts a single unit.

Even if the building is properly calculated and planned, some are built below their respective design. Yay! Thanks to cheating in exchange for money. But who will risk their licenses anyway? Creepy.

This is a call to the industry. Build better buildings, a building that will be able to survive forces of nature. Even if it cost much higher than expected, lives of people using it are much expensive. We are being left behind by our neighboring countries. Like Taiwan, and others.  Inspect your house or the place where you live in and ask. Am i ready?