Caribbean region in earthquake
and tsunami risk: study
Countries in Caribbean region
are facing real threats of major
earthquakes and tsunamis, US
scientists said Wednesday.
They are calling for the
establishment of tsunami early
warning systems in the Caribbean
Sea, Gulf of Mexico and Atlantic
Ocean, and better public
education about the tsunami
threats in this region.
In a new study, geologists Jian
Lin of the Woods Hole
Oceanographic Institution (WHOI)
and Uri Ten Brink of the US
Geological Survey reported a
heightened earthquake risk of
the Septentrional fault zone,
which cuts through the highly
populated region in the
Dominican Republic. Their
findings were published inthe
Journal of Geophysical Research
from the American Geophysical
Union last December.
With nearly 20 million people
now living in this tourist
region and a major earthquake
occurring on average every 50
years, scientists say it is not
a question of if it will happen
but when. The most recent major
earthquake, a magnitude 8.1 in
Richter scale in 1946, resulted
in a tsunami that killed a
reported 1,600 people.
"According to our research and
based on the historical records,
the probability of a major
earthquake that can cause
tsunami in Caribbean region is
very, very high," Lin told
Xinhua. "This disaster, if it
happens nowadays, will certainly
kill much more people than it
did half a century ago."
The geologically active offshore
Puerto Rico and Hispaniola
trenches are capable of
producing earthquakes over
magnitude 7.5. The Indonesian
earthquake on Dec. 26 which
generated a tsunami that killed
an estimated 150,000 people,
came from a fault of similar
structure, but was a magnitude
9.0.
Lin and Brink studied the
geology of the northern
Caribbean plate boundary, looked
at historical earthquake data in
the region, and used
three-dimensional models to
calculate the stress changes in
and near the trenches after each
earthquake.
They say stress has increased
for the Hispaniola area, and
that the potential threat of
earthquakes and resulting
possible tsunamis from the
Puerto Rico and Hispaniola
trenches is real and should be
taken seriously.
Lin, a senior scientist and a
marine geophysicist with the
WHOI, said that each time an
earthquake occurs on the
offshore Puerto Rico and
Hispaniola trenches, it adds
stress to the Septentrional
fault zone on Hispaniola. Since
the fault is in a highly
populated region and is capable
of generating magnitude 7.7-7.9
earthquakes, the public should
be educated about the risk.
In addition to establishing
warning systems and informing
the public about the risk,
scientists call for improved
documentation of prior
earthquake and tsunami events
and better estimates of future
threats from the Puerto Rico and
Hispaniola trenches through
underwater studies.
In the past 500 years, a dozen
major earthquakes of magnitude
7.0 or greater have occurred in
the Caribbean near Puerto Rico,
the US Virgin Islands and the
island of Hispaniola, shared by
Haiti and the Dominican
Republic, and several have
generated tsunamis, Lin said.
Cuba highlights relations with
India
Cuba voiced its firm support for
and solidarity with India on the
45th anniversary of their
diplomatic relations, the local
daily Granma said Wednesday.
Marking the occasion, Cuban Vice
Foreign Minister Jose Guerra
said the relationship between
Havana and New Delhi "is a true
example of sincerity and
coordination."
"What has brought us together is
the coincidence in participating
in the common cause of
development and welfare," Jose
was cited as saying.
Meanwhile, Indian Ambassador to
Cuba Bhaskar Balakishnan said
the two countries have adopted
identical positions on major
international issues,
particularly on the UN reform
and its Security Council
expansion.
Since 1989, the two nations have
established a joint commission
for cooperation and signed a
series of memoranda of
understanding on agriculture,
sports, renewable energy,
science and technology.
Colombian gov't reinforces
anti-kidnapping measures
Colombia will allocate 12
million US dollars to the
Special Anti-Kidnapping Units of
the Fourth Army Brigade to help
combat rampant kidnappings in
the South American country, said
a government statement
Wednesday.
The money will be used to buy
computers, night-vision goggles
and arms to increase the
efficiency of the
anti-kidnapping units, the
statement said.
Meanwhile, Vice President
Francisco Santos said it is the
most important investment ever
made in the Gaula. He made the
announcement when attending a
ceremony of delivering 110
vehicles to the anti-kidnapping
units.
"We're moving in the right
direction to defeat the
kidnappers, "he added.
Defense Minister Jorge Uribe
also said that to eradicate
kidnappings in Colombia is a
primary task of the government.
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Flores embarks on Caribbean
tour to seek support for OAS
Former
Salvadorean President
Francisco Flores started a
Caribbean tour on Wednesday
to seek support for his
candidacy of secretary
general of the
Organizationof American
States (OAS).
He said the Caribbean
nations hold the "key" to
winning the post, according
to press reports from San
Salvador, capital of El
Salvador.
Flores said he will visit 14
Caribbean countries and the
first leg of his Caribbean
tour is the Dominican
Republic.
Within the framework of the
Ibero-American Summit held
last month in Costa Rica,
Flores was nominated as the
candidate of Central
American countries, except
Honduras.
Flores said he will
officially register as a
candidate to the OAS post
when Salvadorean President
Antonio Saca approves.
The former president said he
is aware about the
possibility of losing the
initial support after the
Mexican president broke vow
of support.
Flores is the favorite
candidate of the United
States for the top OAS job,
but not for some South
American countries like
Venezuela, which criticizes
him for having backed the
2002 coup attempt against
President Hugo Chavez.
The other candidates for the
OAS post are Chilean
Interior Minister Jose
Insulza and Mexican Foreign
Minister Luis Derbez.
The post of
secretary-general of the OAS
has been left vacant since
Oct. 8 after the resignation
of ex-Costa Rican President
Miguel Angel Rodriguez due
to a corruption scandal in
his own country.
The OAS will elect a new
secretary general in the
first half of2005. Brazil,
Argentina, Mexico, Chile and
Uruguay are among the
countries seeking the post,
but the United States said
it would prefer a Central
American candidate.
The 34-member OAS, founded
in 1948, groups all the
countries inthe Americas
except Cuba.
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