Puerto Rico 2019-2020 Earthquake Sequence: The Challenge of Low Frequency, High Impact Events

Session: Early Results from the 2020 M6.4 Indios, Puerto Rico Earthquake Sequence
Type: Oral
Date: 4/30/2020
Time: 11:00 AM
Room: 115
Description: 

The January 7, 2020 M 6.4 earthquake in Puerto Rico put to test over 30 years of education, outreach and planning. The earthquake sequence has highlighted the need to raise disaster research and readiness above the whim of changing scientific, fiscal and political priorities. If the right lessons are learned, we can be better prepared to face future earthquakes and tsunamis.

The last time an Intensity VIII earthquake happened in Puerto Rico was during the 11 October 1918 Earthquake and Tsunami. For over 30 years along with other scientists, engineers and emergency managers, had been urging more action. Despite significant advances in earthquake and tsunami monitoring, an updated building code and improved awareness, the safety of buildings and catastrophe planning lagged behind. We were caught underprepared.

Fortunately, in the days leading up to the main event, the government authorities and the people paid attention to the earths unsettling signs and put aside the Holiday activities to inform and prepare for a possible large event. Thanks to this proactive approach, the earthquake sequence left only one reported death.

Images of a collapsed school and church as well as hundreds of destroyed homes and businesses circled the world, but that was not all. Additional consequences included an island-wide power outage, thousands of displaced, significant delays in providing citizens with essential services, small business interruption, financial distress and a shutdown of public education. In the wake of the damage and the ensuing weeks of non-stop aftershock activity, even those who may not have had any physical loss were anxious, nervous and fatigued. The emotional impact has been island wide. Once the houses have been rebuilt, will the livelihoods be restored? It will take undoubtedly even longer to reconstruct people’s mental well being.

This presentation will address the challenges and approaches in preparing for low frequency, high impact events that require dedicated long term planning and actions.

Presenting Author: Christa Von Hillebrandt-Andrade

Authors