OVER 900 students, teachers, and staff were evacuated late Monday, October 19, from Cervini Hall, Eliazo Hall, and the University Dormitory in the face of an earthquake that caused tremors in the Ateneo.

Emergency vehicles were present at the residence halls, but no injuries or casualties have been reported.

According to the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (PHIVOLCS), the 5.4 magnitude earthquake struck at 09:50 PM and was centered 22 kilometers east of Looc, Occidental Mindoro, at a depth of 100 km.

Students from all of the residence halls were immediately directed to Cervini Field as part of standard evacuation protocol procedures following the quake.

“We received word from the Security Office that we needed to evacuate, as per protocol,” said Assistant Director for Formation Tats Quiblat.

Quiblat said that while the students were being evacuated, checks were being performed by the residence halls administration to ensure the structural integrity of the buildings following the shock.

“Thankfully, no damages were found,” he said.

Quiblat added that the residence halls administration also contacted PHIVOLCS and the Manila Observatory to ensure that any possible tremors would not cause significant damage to the residents and the buildings.

Residents were allowed to return to their rooms by 11:00 PM, roughly half an hour after the evacuation was called.

When asked about the buildings’ behavior during earthquakes, resident adviser Miguel Lizada noted that the University Dormitory, in particular, has special equipment in place to lessen the damages that can be caused by a potential earthquake.

“The building has rollers underneath that help dampen the impact of earthquakes,” he said. “These rollers cause the buildings to sway during an earthquake, and help reduce the effects of shaking on the buildings.”