Real incident marks the National Earthquake Evacuation Drill in the Dominican Republic
During the National Earthquake Evacuation Drill held this Tuesday, a real emergency situation occurred at the Juan Pablo Duarte government office building, popularly known as El Huacal. An employee of the Office of the Comptroller General of the Republic suffered an accidental fall while participating in the evacuation exercise.
According to official reports, the worker slipped during the movement, which caused a fracture in one of her knees. The authorities clarified that the mishap was not caused by recklessness or running during the evacuation, but by a fortuitous accident. The affected person was immediately assisted by the response agencies present at the scene and transported by a unit of the 9-1-1 National Emergency and Security Attention System to a medical center to receive the required specialized care.
Emergency response capacity
This incident allowed for the evaluation, under real conditions, of the efficiency of the action protocols. In the El Huacal building, which has 14 levels, approximately 7,000 people managed to evacuate the facilities in a time of nine minutes. Erdwin Olivares, director of the Emergency Operations Center (COE), described this time as highly acceptable for the magnitude of the building.
Recommendations to save lives
Regarding the drill, the authorities reiterated the importance of remaining calm and following the established protocols in the event of a seismic event. Among the main guidelines, they highlighted:
- Maintain serenity and follow the instructions of the emergency committees.
- Identify routes and safety zones known as lifelines.
- Avoid stampedes, as panic and uncontrolled simultaneous evacuation pose greater risks than the earthquake itself.
- Carry out evacuations in an organized and unhurried manner.
The job is to organize people and try to get them to descend as orderly as possible to avoid unnecessary risks during a real emergency.
Historical turnout figures
This year’s exercise reached record numbers in the country, mobilizing a total of 3.2 million people in more than 12,500 institutions nationwide. The COE noted that these figures are preliminary and that, after the day’s events, each entity must conduct an analysis of its weaknesses and strengths to optimize its response plans.
Olivares concluded by highlighting that disaster prevention, such as for earthquakes or hurricanes, is a collective responsibility. Alofoke Deportes will continue to monitor progress in response capacity and new technologies implemented to ensure the safety of the citizenry.
