As I write this article, Luzon was hit by a 6.3 magnitude earthquake. I reached out to some of my relatives and they are fine. I have experienced an earthquake when I was a child growing up in Manila; luckily the tremors I experienced back then was not as bad compared to the story I was told about the old Ruby Tower in Binondo in which the six-storey tower collapsed.
There is a meme trending at the moment about the modern earthquake safety drill “Duck, Cover, Post on Social Media”. However, jokes aside, I am thinking about these skyscrapers and towering condominiums around Metro Manila. I am sure it is a scary ordeal when your building is shaking and you are a few storeys high.
Many years ago, I was at the Petronas Twin Towers in Kuala Lumpur. I read that this particular building was built on soft rock so the construction team had to dig deeper to ensure that the building would have a solid foundation. This meant that the building would have a strong base. Determining the depth of the foundation requires various factors such as soil type, susceptibility to earthquakes and thorough calculation to ensure that the building has structural integrity and able to withstand the elements and any natural disasters.
Now that I know that my family and friends are safe, I can relate this earthquake to our daily life. I can see that in our lifetime, we will experience a few earth-shattering moments and it could be anything from the death of a loved one, a massive financial loss, or a major health scare. We cannot predict the future but we have to be prepared for natural disasters because we cannot walk around thinking that it will not happen to us.
If we experience a life-changing moment, make sure that your own foundation is firmly planted on the ground, know what you need to do, have a backup plan and make sure that you execute your plan. Your surroundings may tumble and fall but you need to be steadfast and flexible. The earthquake will only last for a brief moment. Be ready for what life throws at you.
Until next time, STAY FOCUSED!
Related: CCTV video footages of Pampanga earthquake
