A major earthquake simulation exercise will take place in Bucharest in June

A large-scale earthquake simulation exercise will take place in Bucharest and in another location in the country, which has not yet been decided, the head of the Emergency Situations Department, Raed Arafat, has announced.

For five days in the second half of June, the two cities, hypothetically affected by a strong earthquake, will be tested in order to see the population's capacity to react and respond simultaneously.

To reduce the number of casualties, educating citizens is extremely important, said Raed Arafat.

"Every person better prepared means they are safer and their neighbors are safer. We can't sit back, do nothing, and when something happens, everyone waits for the fire department to arrive in five minutes or the ambulance. It is impossible. People have to be prepared. If we want to take the most efficient way to reduce the impact of an earthquake on the population, the solution is this, the implementation of a major reform on the prevention side and the financing of the works that have to happen very quickly. The longer we delay in implementing prevention, the greater the risk of more victims and the greater the impact of an earthquake", said Raed Arafat.

The most recent earthquake simulation exercise took place in 2018, when a series of regulations and protocols for rescuers' intervention were updated.

Translated by: Radu Matei