Today, an earthquake occurred in the Philippines. It was reported as about a 7.1 or a 7.2 magnitude quake, with a an epicenter located near Tagbilaran City in the country's Bohol Province. The amount reported dead keeps rising, with the current number (current meaning about 11AM Central Time) being about 85, 69 of which were all from Tagbilaran City.33 people are missing, many probably trapped in rubble. 164 have been reported injured (CNN). According to a government official that monitors earthquakes, it was "the strongest tremor felt in the area in the last 23 years" (BBC News).
Many of the deaths occurred to do several different things, such as damaged or collapsed buildings (such as a market roof that fell), stampedes of people, and a fishing port that collapsed. Power was cut in certain areas, roads spit, and historic buildings that have been around since the 1500's or 1600's were extensively damaged or collapsed as well.
Although it was unfortunate to occur on a day that was supposed to be joyous, where many in the Philippines were celebrating the Muslim holiday of Eid ul Adha, it could have been quite a bit worse had it not occurred on a holiday. It was reported that there could have been many more deaths if it wasn't because on this holiday, schools are closed. This means that large amounts of students would not have been packed into a school building during the earthquake. Less people in one area means less of a chance of a high death rates during this kind of event.
Some things that I think, based on class lectures, need to be done after this event. Short term, as much relief as possible needs to be sent in. According to the articles in the links below, the Philippine Red Cross was indeed sent it. But I also thinks that if a warning system isn't already established, they should quickly find a way to alert as many people as possible as fast as possible. This is because of the possibility of a tsunami caused by this earthquake. They need to be alerted as soon as possible if one is coming, so that they may prepare and potentially leave the area. Related to this is the set up of evacuation routes, so that people can efficiently and safely travel out of risk areas. It also needs to be relayed to the public that aftershocks are common after an earthquake and fires are also a common hazard. Without this kind of information, more deaths could occur even after the initial quake. Though I am not sure how well the Philippine government is doing overall to respond to this disaster, and we may have to wait a few days to find out, the President is going to visiting areas affected by the quake. It is important for the government to show support in this kind of event so that the people may trust and support them back.Update: By 3:30 PM Central Time, the death toll rose to 93 people.
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