Assessment of Seismic Vulnerability of Public Schools in Metro Manila within 5 Km from the West Valley Fault Line using Rapid Visual Survey (RVS)

The West Valley Fault Line stretches across Metro Manila and School buildings are essential facilities as it serves as an evacuation center for such events. Rapid Visual Survey is a method in screening structures for potential earthquake hazards. This method was employed to assess seismic hazards of the public schools in Metro Manila within 5km from the fault line. Data collection form from the FEMA P-154 which includes building identification information regarding the target schools was used. Age of the building, irregularities, and soil type were determined on site and during the planning stage. A corresponding score was derived and used as level indicator of the potential seismic hazard of the building. It was found out that 14 buildings out of 139 were potentially seismically hazardous and requires further seismic assessment by the LGUs. A hazard map created using ARCGIS showed effectively the distribution and potential grade of damage of every building in each city. The map can be used to raise social awareness and baseline information to promote safety of the communities in the study area.