Is Your House Safe From Earthquakes? PHIVOLCS Has an App for That

A new app allows Filipinos to evaluate the vulnerability and safety of their houses from powerful earthquakes to help the public prepare for such natural disasters.

The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) launched this week the "How Safe Is My House?" app, a self-check tool for earthquake safety of residential houses, and other one to two-story concrete hollow blocks structures.

"The result determines if the structure is safe and presumably built according to standard construction procedures. If not, it may recommend further professional consultations and necessary structural strengthening," Phivolcs said in a statement.

The app, free for download on the Google PlayStore, features 12 questions that android users can use to evaluate the safety of their houses and understand its vulnerability to powerful earthquakes, Phivolcs said.

"It is envisioned that through this innovation, people would be more conscious of the need of constructing seismically sound structures," it added.

Phivolcs said it would soon develop a web-based version of the app and a Filipino translation to make the tool available to more people.