SURIGAO CITY – The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology–Department of Science and Technology (Phivolcs–DoST) continue to conduct their Rapid Earthquake Damage Assessment System (REDAS) training in different provinces and cities in Northern Mindanao and other parts in the country.

The training also focuses on mitigating measures that could be implemented before the earthquake or other calamity takes place.

At least 71 persons were already trained on REDAS in Surigao del Sur and Dinagat Island Province.

A total of 43 REDAS license keys were already issued to Surigao del Sur while eight for Dinagat Island Province, it was learned.

Aside from emergency preparedness and response, REDAS can also be used for land use planning.

Participants of this continued REDAS training were also taught how to use the Global Positioning Satellite (GPS) to build their own risk database.

The objective of continued training is to mainstream hazard assessment into land use planning using REDAS.

With REDAS, users can model or simulate earthquake hazards such as ground shaking, liquefaction, landslides and tsunami and plot elements-at-risks.

The ready hazard maps are also incorporated into the software and hence, the software can generate multi-hazard maps including hydrometeorological hazards such as floods, storm surges and rain-induced landslides.

Participants of this continued training are members of the Provincial, City and Municipal Disaster Coordinating Councils, Provincial Planning and Development Office and Municipal Planning Office.

While participating agencies on the said ongoing REDAS training are the Office of Civil Defense (OCD), Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH), Philippine National Police (PNP), Philippine Army, Housing and Land Use Regulatory Board (HLURB) and National Economic Development Authority (NEDA). Each participant brought their own personal computers where the REDAS software was installed.