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2012 Guatemala earthquake

Coordinates: 13°59′13″N 91°57′54″W / 13.987°N 91.965°W / 13.987; -91.965
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2012 Guatemala earthquake
USGS shake map for the 2012 Guatemala earthquake
class=notpageimage|
Epicenter and main cities in affected area
UTC time??
Magnitude7.4 Mw
Depth24.1 kilometres (15 mi)[1]
Epicenter13°59′13″N 91°57′54″W / 13.987°N 91.965°W / 13.987; -91.965[1]
Areas affectedGuatemala
Max. intensityMM VII[1]
Casualties42 killed[2][3]

The 2012 Guatemala earthquake occurred on November 7, 2012, at 16:35:47 UTC (10:35:47 local time). The epicenter of the 7.4 Mw earthquake was located in the Pacific Ocean, 35 kilometres (22 mi) south of Champerico in the department of Retalhuleu.[1]

The quake was reportedly felt in Guatemala and in parts of Mexico, El Salvador, Belize, Honduras, Nicaragua, and Costa Rica.[4] Damage to buildings was reported in several cities in Guatemala, including San Marcos, Quetzaltenango, and the capital Guatemala City.[3] The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center issued a warning about the possibility of a local tsunami within 100 to 200 miles (160 to 320 km) of the epicenter.[5]

With 42 dead, this is the most intense and deadliest earthquake that has hit Guatemala since the earthquake of 1976.[6][7]

Damage and casualties by country

Guatemala

San Marcos, Quetzaltenango, Sololá, Totonicapán, Quiché, and Huehuetenango were the hardest hit departments.[8][9] Preliminary reports mention a death toll of at least 42 in Guatemala.[10][3] According to the minister of energy of Guatemala, the earthquake left 73,000 households without power.[11] The Guatemalan president declared a 30 day "state of calamity" in the departments of Retalhuleu, Sololá, Totonicapán, San Marcos, Quetzaltenango, Quiché, and Huehuetenango.[9][12]

There were collapsed buildings and reported deaths and injuries in San Marcos. The accounts of deaths and injuries in San Marcos were difficult to be confirmed at the beginning due to communication interruption and roads blocked by landslides.[13] Many people in San Marcos, fearing possible aftershocks, gathered on the cold and dark streets.[14] At least 50 houses were damaged in El Quetzal, 9 of which no longer inhabitable, and the dwellers had to take refuge in the community public school.[15][16] More than 300 people stayed in 10 refuges in the department.[14]

In Concepción Chiquirichapa, eight people were buried in a landslide. In total, 10 deaths were reported in Quetzaltenango department.[17] 156 houses were damaged in Quetzaltenango Department, and government buildings in Quetzaltenango City (Xela) were slightly damaged.[18]

Retalhuleu, situated in the south, is close to the epicenter. The Departmental Palace of Retalhuleu, a historical building, was damaged, which caused the government offices therein to be relocated.[19]

Some houses of the coffee growers were damaged. No major damage was reported for agricultural products such as coffee, vegetables, and potatoes.[20]

Mexico

Minor damage was reported in the state of Chiapas, which neighbors Guatemala. In Chiapas, public buildings were evacuated, and telephone and internet services were interrupted.[21] Over a dozen of buildings in Chiapas had minor fissures; the city hall of Tapachula, the installations of the Desarrollo Integral de la Familia, along with a school in Ciudad Hidalgo, were among the places affected.[22]

In the state of Oaxaca, several aftershocks of the earthquake were felt throughout various communities.[23][24] The quake was also felt in the states of Campeche, Guerrero, Michoacán, Morelos, Puebla, and Tabasco.[25]

In Mexico City, workers rushed to the streets from the office buildings, and no major damage was reported.[6][26]

El Salvador

In El Salvador, many urban dwellers evacuated their homes in the capital city, but there were no reports of any damage.[27]

Nicaragua

Nicaragua emitted a tsunami alert after the quake and alerted several communities along the coastlines to mobilize to higher altitudes.[28]

Relief and reconstruction

The minister of finance of Guatemala expressed that 800 million quetzales were ready for covering emergent needs due to the earthquake. The Ministry of Health of Guatemala assigned 1 million quetzales to the hospital of San Marcos and dispatched two trucks with medicines.[8] In Guatemala City, various organizations collected donated provisions for people affected by the earthquake.[29]

The United States Ambassador to Guatemala announced to offer 50,000 USD to Coordinadora Nacional para la Reducción de Desastres (CONRED) for immediate humanitarian help. The United States and Taiwan would offer 110,000 USD in total as economical support. The Inter-American Development Bank would offer 200,000 USD. Various countries offered to provide help in personnel or matter, including Venezuela and Chile.[30]

On November 9, the authorities started the evaluation of the damaged houses in San Marcos and San Pedro Sacatepéquez to decide which to be repaired and which to be demolished and rebuilt.[31]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c d "M7.4 - 35km S of Champerico, Guatemala". United States Geological Survey. Retrieved November 8, 2012.
  2. ^ "Death toll in Guatemala quake rises to 52, while residents huddle in fear of aftershocks". Fox News. November 8, 2012. Retrieved November 8, 2012.
  3. ^ a b c "Guatemala earthquake kills dozens in mountain villages". BBC News. November 8, 2012. Retrieved November 8, 2012.
  4. ^ "Guatemala: 48 muertos y 23 desaparecidos deja terremoto". La Prensa (Honduras) (in Spanish). November 7, 2012. Retrieved November 8, 2012. {{cite news}}: |archive-url= is malformed: liveweb (help); Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  5. ^ Perez Diaz, Sonia (November 7, 2012). "Guatemala Earthquake 2012: USGS Reports Strong Quake". The Huffington Post. Retrieved November 8, 2012.
  6. ^ a b Fausset, Richard (November 7, 2012). "7.4 earthquake kills at least 39 in Guatemala". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved November 8, 2012. {{cite news}}: More than one of |author= and |last= specified (help)
  7. ^ "Sube a 52 la cifra de muertos en Guatemala". El Universal (in Spanish). November 8, 2012. Retrieved November 8, 2012.
  8. ^ a b Rojas, Alex (November 8, 2012). "Terremoto centra daños en el occidente del país". Prensa Libre (in Spanish). Retrieved November 8, 2012.
  9. ^ a b Lara, Julio (November 8, 2012). "Presidente confirma estado de Calamidad por terremoto". Prensa Libre (in Spanish). Guatemala City. Retrieved November 8, 2012.
  10. ^ "Sube a 52 cifra de muertos por terremoto en Guatemala". Milenio (in Spanish). November 8, 2012. Retrieved November 8, 2012.
  11. ^ http://www.laprensa.hn/Secciones-Principales/Mundo/America-Latina/Guatemala-48-muertos-y-23-desaparecidos-deja-terremoto
  12. ^ http://www.prensalibre.com/noticias/comunitario/oficializa-Calamidad-Publica_0_807519329.html
  13. ^ "Guatemala earthquake kills dozens". The Guardian. November 7, 2012. Retrieved November 8, 2012.
  14. ^ a b Lara, Julio (November 8, 2012). "Remueven escombros y localizan más víctimas en San Marcos". Prensa Libre (in Spanish). Retrieved November 8, 2012.
  15. ^ http://www.prensalibre.com/san_marcos/Cincuenta-viviendas-Quetzal-San-Marcos_0_806319646.html
  16. ^ http://www.prensalibre.com/san_marcos/Damnificados-Quetzal-piden-temen-olvidados_0_806919529.html
  17. ^ Ventura, Carlos (November 8, 2012). "Al menos diez personas mueren en Quetzaltenango por el sismo". Prensa Libre (in Spanish). Quetzaltenango. Retrieved November 8, 2012.
  18. ^ Hernández, Luis (November 8, 2012). "Radiografía de la tragedia". El Quetzaltenango (in Spanish). Retrieved November 8, 2012.
  19. ^ Tizol, Jorge Germán (November 8, 2012). "Sismo daña edificio histórico". Prensa Libre (in Spanish). Retrieved November 8, 2012.
  20. ^ http://www.prensalibre.com/economia/Cafe-reporta-danos-estructura_0_808119190.html
  21. ^ Chávez, Hermes (November 7, 2012). "Chiapas, sin pérdidas materiales y humanas tras sismo: PC". Milenio (in Spanish). Chiapas. Retrieved November 8, 2012.
  22. ^ Mariscal, Ángeles (November 8, 2012). "Guatemala queda en "alerta roja" luego de terremoto de 7.2 grados". CNNMéxico (in Spanish). Retrieved November 8, 2012.
  23. ^ Rodríguez, Oscar (November 7, 2012). "Realizan en Oaxaca recorridos de vigilancia tras sismo de 7.3". Milenio (in Spanish). Retrieved November 8, 2012.
  24. ^ "Un sismo de 7.3 grados remece el sur de México y Centroamérica". CNNMéxico (in Spanish). November 7, 2012. Retrieved November 8, 2012.
  25. ^ Mandujano, Isaín (November 7, 2012). "Suman 39 muertos y más de 100 desaparecidos por sismo en Guatemala; en México, saldo blanco". Proceso (in Spanish). Retrieved November 8, 2012.
  26. ^ "No reportan daños en el DF tras sismo". El Informador (in Spanish). November 7, 2012. Retrieved November 8, 2012.
  27. ^ Ruiz Goiriena, Romina (November 8, 2012). "Sismo Guatemala: Aumentan a 52 los muertos, cientos heridos". The Huffington Post (in Spanish). Retrieved November 8, 2012.
  28. ^ "Emite Nicaragua alerta de tsunami tras sismo en Guatemala". Milenio (in Spanish). Managua. November 7, 2012. Retrieved November 8, 2012.
  29. ^ De León, Irene (November 8, 2012). "Guatemaltecos organizan formas de ayudar a víctimas de terremoto". Prensa Libre (in Spanish). Retrieved November 8, 2012.
  30. ^ http://www.prensalibre.com/noticias/Naciones-envian-ayuda-Guatemala_0_807519270.html
  31. ^ http://www.prensalibre.com/noticias/Terremoto-Sismo-Guatemala-San_Marcos-Afectados-Insivumeh-Conred_0_808119250.html

Media related to 2012 Guatemala earthquake at Wikimedia Commons

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