Scientists: Haiti, DR may facing big quake period
By TRENTON DANIEL | Associated Press – 12 hrs
PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti (AP) — Haiti and the neighboring Dominican Republic could be in for a period of periodic powerful earthquakes, according to a scientific study released Thursday.
The study says Haiti's 7.0-magnitude earthquake two years ago is likely to be the first of several quakes of a similarly powerful magnitude.
The Jan. 12, 2010, earthquake caused widespread damage in the Haitian capital and surrounding cities. Officials say the disaster killed 314,000 people and toppled thousands of crudely built homes.
"The 2010 Haiti earthquake may mark the beginning of a new cycle of large earthquakes on the Enriquillo fault system after 240 years of seismic quiescence," lead author William Bakun of the U.S. Geological Survey wrote. "The entire Enriquillo fault system appears to be seismically active; Haiti and the Dominican Republic should prepare for future devastating earthquakes."
The authors document a series of four major earthquakes of magnitude 6.6 and higher that struck Hispaniola, the Caribbean island shared by Haiti and the Dominican Republic. The phase began in 1701, near the site of the 2010 quake, and ended in 1770.
There was no evidence of significant earthquake activity on the Enriquillo fault system in the 240 years from 1770 until the 2010 disaster, except for an earthquake in 1860 that likely occurred offshore, the study said.
The possibility that a newly active period has begun underscores the need for Haiti and the Dominican Republic to focus on building seismic-proof structures, Bakun said.
"Whatever information people have to guide reconstruction efforts in Haiti ... is certainly useful," Bakun said by telephone from Merlo Park, California.
The study appears in the February edition of the Bulletin of the Seismological Society of America.
Moderate quakes have struck the Dominican Republic in recent weeks but there were no reports of damage
This is very interesting. I hope th authorities are taking note.
and do what exactly?????
...enforce building codes, disuade people from rebuilding any old way, stop looking the other way when building inspectors take bribes, stop people from building in ravines, and a slew of other things. We can't keep on acting like an ignorant, helpless little country forever.
This is very interesting. I hope th authorities are taking note.
and do what exactly?????
...enforce building codes, disuade people from rebuilding any old way, stop looking the other way when building inspectors take bribes, stop people from building in ravines, and a slew of other things. We can't keep on acting like an ignorant, helpless little country forever.
This is very interesting. I hope th authorities are taking note.
and do what exactly?????
...enforce building codes, disuade people from rebuilding any old way, stop looking the other way when building inspectors take bribes, stop people from building in ravines, and a slew of other things. We can't keep on acting like an ignorant, helpless little country forever.
The only thing they can do at this point is teach people what to do and where to go in case of an earthquake.
Exactly.......Delmas people gather at Parc canne -a sucre.....Petyonvil people...plas Senpye.......moun lavil...desann sou bisantne.......these are the places where the whites will be dropping food and water.
The only thing they can do at this point is teach people what to do and where to go in case of an earthquake.
Actually, if you've been to Haiti recently you would notice that there are a lot of public service announcements on the radio and television, alerting people as to what to do in case of another earthquake, and urging people to plan escape routes and meet-up points in case of an emergency. They are also telling people not to build in ravines, etc... I'm sure people are listening to these, but when you look around, many homes are just being patched up. People are moving into them even though they are in worse condition than they were before the quake. Even the most minor tremor may bring them down.
The only thing they can do at this point is teach people what to do and where to go in case of an earthquake.
Actually, if you've been to Haiti recently you would notice that there are a lot of public service announcements on the radio and television, alerting people as to what to do in case of another earthquake, and urging people to plan escape routes and meet-up points in case of an emergency. They are also telling people not to build in ravines, etc... I'm sure people are listening to these, but when you look around, many homes are just being patched up. People are moving into them even though they are in worse condition than they were before the quake. Even the most minor tremor may bring them down.
So you agree then........the ACTUAL plan is when GOUDOUGOUDOU comes.......natives to run to meet-up-points....and wait for big birds in the sky to drop relief from papa blan.
[ Edited: 29 January 2012 01:26 PM by Jesus Christ ]
The problems faced by both countries in the island are huge.
In one side Haiti's picking up after the major quake of Jan 12th and lacks the resources to implement many of the basics to avoid a further calamity created by the human aspects. The DR has somewhat the budget to deal with parts of it, by no political will to force people living in highly dangerous homes to vacate those places.
We're both failed by the governments we have. It's clearly a let's deal with the aftermath as best we can, than let's deal with the potential problems before it strikes soon.
The DR has taken some steps to address the wakening faults in the region, but they are too little and lack extensiveness.
What have we learned from Haiti's quake? That everything that can fail, will fail.
Haiti can do much now by addressing part of the reasons so many lives were lost in the first place: The type of structures used for housing and commerce. The need to have state offices and utilities prepare to hold out during an earthquake. Hospitals, police, water...
The rest will take time to deal with, as there's no way to make people move from their fragile homes now to where?
I'm afraid that Haiti's tent city aspects will be also a reality in the DR, should a major quake hit us and the authorities lack of action to address the shortcomings now than later.
People have been going about on the issue of how better prepared the DR is than Haiti was for an earthquake, which is far from the truth. The only thing that the DR can be said to edge Haiti a little on that aspect, it's the amount of homes and business that will not fall should a quake hit the country. But a lot of them will come down for sure... Santiago alone is a city with a lot of buildings and homes that are over 100 years old, some are from the time of the city's re-founding (after the original one was destroyed by what else? an earthquake).
Another thing is that unlike Haiti, I don't expect to see millions donated to assist the country rebuild after something like that. It will be left to the country's people to rebuild it and little will come from goodwill pockets to help us stand up again.
But as Pascal said, we need to address the shortcomings early on so that at least this won't repeat again in the case of Haiti. In the DR a lot of people still think it won't be as bad should one like Haiti strike us, but I and a lot of many others know best...
The saddest part is that it would be the poorest the ones most affected by the quake, should it happen in the DR at Haiti's magnitude level.
The other bad sign for the DR, it's that in recorded history of quakes that affected the eastern side of the island, most of the big ones also came side by side with tsunamis. Back then the housing was not that dense in the coastal cities affected, unlike today in the whole country.
So you agree then........the ACTUAL plan is when GOUDOUGOUDOU comes.......natives to run to meet-up-points....and wait for big birds in the sky to drop relief from papa blan.
This new prediction actually concerns me a lot. Although the Haitian apartment building I live in faired very well during the earthquake, the apartment I've rented is fairly perched. It is high up (I got a good price because most Haitians won't touch it.) I have an excellent view, and I receive Access Haiti, Internet wireless signals (which I depend on) without any interference whatsoever. However, since Port-au-Prince housing needs to be so secure, and you usually even need a key to exit, I have several locks to negotiate before I'd be able to escape.
A friend who recently came by to see me refused to come upstairs once she saw how far up I lived. I respected her concerns and was forced to conduct my meeting with her in the parking lot downstairs. She has eventually been in my apartment several times, but each time comes up very reluctantly and never stays long. All the upstairs apartments are occupied by members of the Diaspora and foreigners who did not experience the earthquake first-hand. (Most Haitians absolutely refuse to live that far up.)
Early one morning (at about 3am) I remember being jarred awake by a dump duck that was barreling down the street carrying earthquake debris. I woke up in a panic, thinking "this is it!" I looked out the window, saw the truck, and just started laughing at myself.
My escape plan includes crawling out of the window, and jumping onto multiple ledges (a terrible plan.) if calamity were to strike, I would be a true sitting duck with no where to go. Although I love the apartment, the next time I go to Haiti, I will strongly consider getting something which will be easier to escape from once my lease is up.
So you agree then........the ACTUAL plan is when GOUDOUGOUDOU comes.......natives to run to meet-up-points....and wait for big birds in the sky to drop relief from papa blan.
This new prediction actually concerns me a lot. Although the Haitian apartment building I live in faired very well during the earthquake, the apartment I've rented is fairly perched. It is high up (I got a good price because most Haitians won't touch it.) I have an excellent view, and I receive Access Haiti, Internet wireless signals (which I depend on) without any interference whatsoever. However, since Port-au-Prince housing needs to be so secure, and you usually even need a key to exit, I have several locks to negotiate before I'd be able to escape.
A friend who recently came by to see me refused to come upstairs once she saw how far up I lived. I respected her concerns and was forced to conduct my meeting with her in the parking lot downstairs. She has eventually been in my apartment several times, but each time comes up very reluctantly and never stays long. All the upstairs apartments are occupied by members of the Diaspora and foreigners who did not experience the earthquake first-hand. (Most Haitians absolutely refuse to live that far up.)
Early one morning (at about 3am) I remember being jarred awake by a dump duck that was barreling down the street carrying earthquake debris. I woke up in a panic, thinking "this is it!" I looked out the window, saw the truck, and just started laughing at myself.
My escape plan includes crawling out of the window, and jumping onto multiple ledges (a terrible plan.) if calamity were to strike, I would be a true sitting duck with no where to go. Although I love the apartment, the next time I go to Haiti, I will strongly consider getting something which will be easier to escape from once my lease is up.
In the states you can purchase an emergency window ladder like this one cheap:
They also sell them in the DR, as we have plenty of people living in co-ops and apartment buildings without emergency ladders built in. They are not required by design in buildings less than 5 stories high in the country.
That should give you a chance to make a quick exit, should you need to vacate your home fast!
I think that in Haiti's case, with the majority of structures being how they are, being ready with a survival kit is not too crazy an idea. Like having all your needs and possible emergency rations packed into a handy bag that will also serve to hold all your most important documents like passports, etc... And of course cash! People don't get it, but having cash is more important than having a credit card with millions to charge. It won't do you any good as banks or atms will not be so easy to access to or work if.
