At the sound of the siren, all the personnel who work in the offices of the National Palace were evacuated this morning during an emergency drill in which President Luis Abinader and Minister Joel Santos, of the Presidency, and José Ignacio Paliza, Administrative, did not participate, since they were not in the presidential seat.
During the rehearsal, the public servants left their workplace from the front and back after the siren was blasted by the National Palace Emergency Committee.
Igor Rodríguez, Administrative and Financial Deputy Minister said that the drill tries to save lives in an emergency and thanked the servers for their participation.
While Joel Nazario Brugal, director of Engineering and Service and president of the Emergency Committee of the government house said that it is about each institution knowing its evacuation plan.
He said that between 900 and 1,000 employees participated in the drill that was called by the Emergency Operations Center and the Civil Defense.
He explained that they do the rehearsal so that in the event of an emergency situation such as earthquakes, fires or any other risky circumstance, they are prepared to face it.
He said that they are divided into four blocks and that each one has its own evacuation exit with its indicated meeting point.
He indicated that those in charge of the evictions assume their responsibility to account for the employees so that in the event that someone stays inside during the event, they can identify who is absent and thus the firefighters and rescue agencies can help him.
He explained that for those moments, a siren will sound at the Government House during the evacuations and, through these routes, it will be that people will have to travel.
Brugal said they are holding the drill for the second year in a row.
“We are a country with a high seismic risk and it is good to be prepared, that each public institution knows its evacuation plan, it is an exercise that is done year after year,” he specified.
He said that they carry out the rehearsals because it is not known when he would have to face reality.
“The best way for you to know how to behave in a difficult situation is by practicing,” he said.
He argued that fear betrays you and does not make you act correctly and that if you practice things come out the most natural and benefit everyone.
the COE
The Emergency Operations Center (COE) carried out a simulation of an earthquake that occurred in the southern part of the Santo Domingo province.
The director of the COE, retired Major General Juan Manuel Méndez García, explained that with the initiative they put into practice the evacuation plans, protocols and procedures of public institutions, private companies and society in general.
“On instructions from President Luis Abinader and with the purpose of preparing the population on how to respond to an emergency situation, the Government simulated the occurrence of an earthquake, where it put into practice the plans, protocols, and procedures for evacuation in the event of an earthquake” , he pointed out.
He said that through the COE page, those interested can have tools and instructions that allow them to create their earthquake contingency plan and where they can also register and obtain participation certificates. He explained that together with the institutions that make up the COE, they simulated an earthquake which will allow students and both public and private institutions to know what to do before, during and after an earthquake event.
