|
 - Photo for illustration purposes only - |
||||||||||||
|
Published on Wednesday, August 11,
2021
In Costa Rica, an average of 350 earthquakes are registered per month, which makes it a country with a high frequency of that natural phenomenon, according to the National Emergency Commission. Just three weeks ago, two strong earthquakes were felt in Costa Rica. One was recorded on July 21, at 3:15 p.m. with a 7.0 Richter scale magnitude, located: 82 km SSE of Punta de Burica in Panama and very close to the southern pacific border with Costa Rica, according to the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program. The other was recorded a day before, on July 20 at 5:57 p.m. with a magnitude of 4.43, located in Higuito District, Desamparados Canton, San José Province, according to the Volcanology Observatory. This evening the national earthquake evacuation drill will be held at 7 p.m., due to the pandemic, it will be carried virtually for the second consecutive year. The goal of the training is to improve the country's response capacities and provide information to the population to incorporate very simple actions into their daily lives and take accurate actions in case a real emergency could happen. Earthquakes can strike at any time, leaving people ill-prepared. The reason for the evening earthquake training is that most people should be at home with their families, allowing for them to participate in the drill. This year's drill will focus on taking preventive measures and safety actions at home. The authorities call on families to carry out the simulation with their social bubbles and then report their participation through the platform called Simulacro CR, designed for that purpose, which is available in Spanish on the Commission's website. Using that app, people will access information about how to prepare an earthquake emergency plan and evacuate safely following health guidelines during a pandemic. The training provides instructions on how to act during an earthquake. The seven steps are available in Spanish on the Commission's website. Participants should also fill out an online form to be registered for the drill. The form is available in Spanish on the Commission website. Once the drill is completed, the commission is asking for participants to submit their results of the emergency plan made by the family via the app. The National Earthquake Drill, which is held every year in Costa Rica, will be also streaming on the commission's Facebook page. The 1991 so-called Limón earthquake, was the strongest recorded in Costa Rica's history according to United States Geological Survey. It occurred at 3:57 p.m. on April 22, the epicenter of the 7.7 magnitude earthquake was in Valle La Estrella Canton in Limón Province. ------------- What other countries practice earthquake emergency drills? We would like to know your thoughts on this story. Send your comments to news@amcostarica.com             
|
||||||||||||
|