SENATOR Loren Legarda has expressed deep sympathy to the victims of the 7.2-magnitude earthquake that hit Turkey on Sunday.

Legarda, chair of the Senate Committee on Climate Change and Committee on Foreign Relations, cited reports that the strong temblor, which was followed by at least seven aftershocks, caused the collapse of 80 buildings in the town of Ercis and the death of hundreds of people.

The senator renewed her call for  earthquake preparedness.

“Once again, we witness a disaster strike, reminding us of our vulnerability to high-magnitude earthquakes that remains to be fully addressed. We sympathize with the citizens of Turkey, but as we do this, we must also check our country’s preparedness to face disasters. Manila is in fact found to be the city most at risk of earthquake, followed by Jakarta, Yangon in Myanmar, Bangkok, and Ho Chi Minh,” Legarda said.

“We have already been warned of the possible scenario when an earthquake of the same magnitude hits the country, particularly Metro Manila—the destruction of 40% of the residential buildings, damage to 35% of all public buildings, death of 33,500 people, and injury to 113,600 individuals,” she explained.

Legarda said that all buildings in the country should be evaluated for their structural integrity, primarily  medium-rise buildings found to be highly vulnerable.

There should be a regular conduct of fire and earthquake drills particularly in schools and hospitals, as disasters may occur just about any time.

Back-up systems of vital utilities—such as electricity and telecommunications equipment—must be in place as these are necessary for speedy recovery and rehabilitation efforts, said Legarda.