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Tsunami alert an emergency drill for MDX
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Posted on Nov 17 2006
While most residents tried to get to higher ground as fast as they could during early Thursday morning’s tsunami alert, at least 15 Filipino members of MDX Amateur Radio Club went to the villages and used the situation to test their skills in information relay.
“It served as our emergency drill,” said MDX Radio Club member Ed Reyes yesterday.
Reyes, who is also co-chairman of the United Filipino Organization, said that MDX members were deployed in different locations to give accounts of what was happening.
“From San Vicente Road to Papago Road going up, the road was congested. It was so full of vehicles you can’t just make a U-turn. As Lito road was also congested,” said Reyes, who drove down from Kagman to Chalan Kanoa to monitor the emergency.
He said that, based on their assessment, most people reached safe ground before 1:30am, the projected time when the tsunami would hit the island.
“They’ve moved up. People in low-lying areas made it to higher areas. I went to Chalan Kanoa, there were no people in sight,” said Reyes.
Reyes said MDX members were on top of the situation because they received the latest information from the Hawaii weather station.
At about 1am, he said he knew that Saipan was safe from any huge tidal waves.
“We could listen to the weather station. We get the latest update,” he said.
He said MDX Radio Club is licensed by the Federal Communications Communication to operate as a radio group. It uses its own radio frequency and has its own repeater or radio tower on Mt. Tapochau.
MDX has links to the Amateur Radio Relay League in Hawaii.
Reyes said that people’s behavior during the alert had been excellent.
“It’s very good. People reacted to the alert. And that’s needed in case of emergency. There were no reported accidents,” he said.
MDX Amateur Radio Club is headed by Boy Ching as president.
The tsunami alert was prompted by an 8.1 magnitude earthquake that struck the Pacific Ocean near Japan.
Most residents in low-lying areas drove to As Matuis, Capital Hill, Navy Hill, Gualo Rai, and As Terlaje.
The Emergency Management Office said it received the “all clear” at 1:21am.
