Is Manila Ready for an Earthquake? -- from CNN

A big NO would be my answer. I did not need to be an architect, a scientist, or a politician to answer that question. I may not have scientific calculations and reports as proof, but I am definitely sure Manila is not yet prepared for an earthquake like what happened to Haiti (7.0), Chile (8.8) and China (6.9).

Earthquakes hit without warnings, they damage and kill without exceptions, so why isn't Philippines getting ready for it when we've already seen the destruction it brought to Haiti, Chile and China recently? I sure would love to be a part of that preparation.

According to CNN, after what happened to Haiti, Chile and China, Philippines could be next. The Marikina fault is more or less ready to give in, it goes straight into the heart of Manila where 11 million people reside.

According to Mahar Lagmay, a geologist, a magnitude 7 earthquake is like detonating a thousand Nagasaki atom bombs, underneath the earth's surface along the trace of the Marikina Valley fault.

Let's face it, it's not only the Marikina Valley fault that's in danger of giving in when an earthquake hit the Philippines. There are hundreds or even thousands of houses that has cracks on its walls and floors, not to mention, the poor housing standards our country has.

Felino Palafox, one of our country's top architects, has submitted recommendations to the government on what has to be done to make Manila safer, but got no response... Now that the election draws nearer, could it really be that politics is more important than the safety of the lives of many Filipinos?

A 7.2 magnitude earthquake could probably wipe out Manila, but what if a much bigger earthquake hits us instead? What would be left of Manila then?

Watch the video below to know more!

Though what the Philippine's defense chief Norberto Gonzales said is true, "there's no 100 percent preparation for a major earthquake... despite all the preparations, there will be casualties", a preparation is all that we can do to minimize damages and casualties that a major earthquake can do.

Source: CNN