Is your home earthquake-proof? PHIVOLCS app lets you check it yourself

No hard hats required. Just download an app, answer questions, and within minutes, you’ll know if your house is built to withstand an earthquake.

With a series of consecutive earthquakes jolting the Philippines, this one-click technology is made possible by an app developed by the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (PHIVOLCS) called “How Safe Is My House?” which aims to provide a platform for self-assessment of 1-2 storey concrete hollow block (CHB) houses and buildings in the country.

The project, launched in 2021, was created through collaborative efforts between the PHIVOLCS, the National Research Institute for Earth Science and Disaster Prevention (NIED), the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), the Japan Science and Technology Agency (JST), and the Association of Structural Engineers Philippines (ASEP).

How does it work

According to PHIVOLCS, the app’s main purpose is to determine if an establishment is safe in case of a strong earthquake and aims to give a framework for proper construction practices and standard design awareness.

The app lets users answer 12 questions regarding when and how the house has been built and designed, were there any past damages in the house, what materials were used, and the overall condition of the house.

This allows the app to generate test score results, along with a simulation that shows your house’s situation in an earthquake onset. Moreover, it also provides steps and suggestions on how you can reinforce your home to prepare for any unprecedented events.

“The initial result will show if your house was properly built and followed appropriate construction procedures and recommended measures or if it will require necessary strengthening,” PHIVOLCS said in a GMA news article.

Closing the gap in safety checks

Last October 13, a 7.4 magnitude earthquake struck off Bogo, Cebu

On Sept. 30, 2025, a magnitude 6.9 earthquake struck northern Cebu, with its epicenter traced to a newly identified fault line: the Bogo Bay Fault. According to the Office of Civil Defense (OCD) on Monday, 74,616 houses were partially and 5,343 houses totally damaged.

Currently, PHIVOLCS records aftershocks reaching 11,835.

Subsequently, a twin earthquake with magnitudes 7.4 and 6.9 respectively, hit Davao Oriental on October 10, affecting over 125,283 families or 491,258 people, based on the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC).

The impact of these quakes reveal the gaps observed in disaster readiness preliminaries like area check-up delays, assessment costs, and lack of experts in isolated rural communities where help usually takes a longer time to reach- problems which the app tries to alleviate.

The widespread use of this app in a locality is set to enable disaster managers and authorities to have an idea of the possible impact of an earthquake in their area. Individually, it encourages a more efficient, time-saving, and easy way of preparing for disasters as unprecedented as earthquakes.

Although the app does not undermine the severity of earthquakes, rather, instead of waiting for official inspection teams, the app allows families to instantly check their homes with an already-simplified assessment, making ordinary citizens directly and actively partake in ensuring their own safety.

“How Safe Is My House?” is downloadable through Apple’s App Store or Google Play Store, or through https://howsafeismyhouse.phivolcs.dost.gov.ph.

While there is no such thing as an instrument to accurately predict earthquakes at real-time yet, what these disasters amplify is the importance of being steps ahead of the tremors. Facing earthquakes now takes a different approach with technology as our resource, and innovation as our tool.

So, in these times, ask yourself: is your house safe from earthquakes?