Government data of developed countries include the following in their basic earthquake scenarios of Magniture 7 and above: busted main water pipes and dams, massive power outage, destroyed telecommunication facilities, ATM and banking facilities, etc.
PHIVOLCS confirmed that waterlessness and powerlessness are basic scenarios in an earthquake of Magnitude 7 and above.
When a city mayor was asked on TV what the disaster-preparedness was for busted main water pipes, he shrugged it off as the problem of the private concessionaires. Perhaps, because he and his family could be easily airlifted by friends and partymates in Malacañang and because the drills were, for him and some officials, publicity stunts — he did not care.
The on-going replacement of main water pipes by Maynilad in downtown Manila would take five days even with prepositioned heavy equipment and careful planning. In an emergency (i.e., without prepositioned equipment), how long would that take them?
Residents of affected areas were prepared, having been notified beforehand: they stored up water enough for two days. They were patient.
What about in the aftermath of the big shakeout, when the dust settles, and the faucets are dry… for days and days?
How long can people last without clean, drinking water? (until they resort to criminal violence)
What about massive damage to power, telecom, banking, road and transpo facilities? What is the response time of private companies, public utilities, and government agencies?
How long can people last if their petty cash runs out, without being able to draw from ATMs? What is your longest experienced duration of foodlessness?
Government is not showing us any playbook on these scenarios perhaps because it is “classified”. But do you trust that the government is prepared for any of these? Why, of course, they are: There are always choppers on standby for the First Family and their friends and cronies. The rest of us will have to “duck-cover-and-hold” until we die dehydration or criminal violence.
Here is the basic earthquake scenario lifted off the page of “The Great U.S. Shakeout Drill”:
” xxx Most of the region is experiencing shortages of essential supplies, such as fresh food, bottled water, fuel, and generators.Damaged bridges and roadways and damage to shipping vessels cause oil and hazardous material (HAZMAT) contamination in cities, towns, waterways, and farmland in the affected area. Some rivers experience a brief uplifting of their riverbeds, causing temporary appearance of reverse‐flow. “Across the affected states widespread damage occurs to drinking water distribution and wastewater collection systems as well as treatment facilities, the national power grid, oil and natural gas pipelines, and roadways. Large structural fires break out because of damage to gas pipelines. “Due to the nature of the geology in area, shaking and soil liquefaction of land surrounding the fault line caused the following: • Localized flooding in low‐lying areas with river bed changes along the local rivers • Compromised or damaged bridges, roads, railroad bridges and tracks, buildings, and other infrastructure • Compromised or damaged oil and natural gas pipelines • Structural damage to dams and levees (including burms and built‐up road beds)…. et cetera” xxx
