Eight Days Later
The Tremors Won't Let
Up
Rescue efforts have been
hampered by tremors in
the earthquake area of
last Thursday, January
8. The fear heightened
by the fact that the
tremors are from other
faults in the area and
not the one that caused
the 6.2 quake on the
8th.
The tremors are
instilling panic in the
residents of the area
and those seeking refuge
in shelters.
Yesterday (Thursday)
more than 10 aftershocks
were felt within hours
between 2pm and 4:22pm,
mainly in the areas of
Sararipiqui.
According to the
Observatorio
Vulcanológico y
Sismológico de Costa
Rica (OVSICORI), the
tremors hit at 2:05pm,
3km north of Cariblanco;
2:09pm, 3km east of
Cinchona; 2:11pm, 5km
east of Ujarras de Pòas;
2:12pm,5 km east of
Cinchona; 2:14pm 3.3km
east of Ujarras de Pòas;
3:11pm, 2km east of
Ujarras de Pòas; 4:18pm,
3km east of Ujarras de
Pòas; 4:18pm, 3 km east
of Ujarras de Pòas; and,
4:22pm, 4 km east of
Cinchona.
All the tremors
registered between 2.7
and 4.1 on the Richter
Scale and were felt in
many areas of the
Central Valley.
A 3.2 tremor was
registered on Wednesday
at 1:50pm located 2km
north of Vara Blanca. On
Tuesday, six tremors
were felt between 1:09am
in Fraijanes to 9:47pm
10km northeast of San
Jose de la Montaña,
Heredia. The strongest
of those tremors was
4.3.
In addition to the
shakes and rumbles, four
communities are at high
risk of mud slides:
Puerto Viejo, Chilamate,
Bajos de Chilamate and
the La Virgen de
Sarapiquí.
The OVSICORI is warning
that the accumulation of
sediment in the high
areas of the Sarapiquí
river could cause a
mudslide similar to the
accumulation caused by
the January 8 quake.
Experts are stressing
extreme caution in those
communities and the CNE
is ready to evacuate the
area if necessary.
Julio Madrigal, Jefe de
Prevención y Mitigación
de la Comisión Nacional
de Emergencia (CNE),
explained that homes
within 15 metres of the
edge of the river at the
highest risk.
The CNE says it is
keeping an eye on the
situation for the entire
section the river
between the towns of
Puerto Viejo and
Sarapiquí. |