• GILBERT P. BAYORAN
Except for minor cracks in the upper floors of Cadiz District Hospital in Cadiz City, no major structural damage has been reported in Negros Occidental, following the strong earthquake Tuesday night, Sept. 30.
Governor Eugenio Jose Lacson said on Wednesday the Provincial Capitol Building in Bacolod City, which has been inspected immediately by the Provincial Engineering Office, was found free of any structural damage.
Ana Marie Pornan, head of the Bacolod City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office, reported that the Bacolod City Government Center is safe for occupancy as they have not found any structural damage.
Work at the Provincial Capitol and Bacolod City Government Center were suspended on Wednesday.
The Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (PDRRMO) reported that 27 local government units (LGUs) suspended classes due to the earthquake while 11 LGUs suspended work in government offices.
Based on reports of the PDRRMO, the earthquake was felt from Intensity I to VI across towns and cities in Negros Occidental.
Lacson said the operation of Cadiz District Hospital continues although its fourth and fifth floors have already been vacated of patients.
Mayor Salvador Escalante Jr. said he enlisted the help of teachers to inspect their respective classrooms for any damage.
The coral stones of a wall of the centuries-old Santa Maria Magdalena church in Hinigaran town were peeled off following the earthquake.
In San Carlos City, Mayor Renato Gustilo said the firewall of a drug store was damaged, but no one was reported hurt.
Local disaster councils across Negros Occidental are still monitoring other public infrastructures and residential areas for potential quake-related impacts. | GB
