The Governor of Santiago Aura Toribio and Environment Minister Francisco Domínguez Brito announced that an earthquake simulacrum will take place on Wednesday, 14 March 2018. The simulacrum is one of steps being taken to minimize deaths and damage in Puerto Plata and Santiago provinces that are on an active earthquake fault line. The authorities made the announcement so the population can be aware that explosions or rescue alarms and people mobilizations are part of the drill.
Participating in the drill are the National Health Service (SNS), the National Emergencies Commission, the Center for Emergency Operations (COE), the Presidency of the Republic, Ministry of Environment, Santiago Solidario Foundation and the governor’s offices in Santiago and Puerto Plata.
The activity is carried out within the framework of the strengthening of local capacities for coordination, preparation and response established by the earthquake contingency plans for Santiago and Puerto Plata. More than 20,000 volunteers will participate in the drill that will mobilize around 500,000 persons.
Environment Minister Domínguez said that 32 hospitals are participating, activating their coordination mechanisms. Four leading public hospitals (Cabral y Báez, Arturo Grullón, and Estrella Ureña in Santiago and the Ricardo Limardo in Puerto Plata) will activate their emergency committees, carry out partial hospital evacuations and test their brigades and equipment to receive in their emergency rooms large numbers of victims that have suffered injuries in collapsed buildings.
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Diario Libre
14 March 2018
