— CDC on ‘fact-finding’ mission in Region Nine

A TEAM from the Civil Defence Commission (CDC) is in Region Nine (Upper Takutu- Upper Essequibo) from today to conduct a fact-finding mission on the earthquake that struck that region and affected other parts of Guyana and Brazil.

On Friday, when contacted by the Guyana Chronicle, Director-General (DG) of the CDC, Lieutenant Colonel Kester Craig, related that his team was underway to the region following reports that several communities were still experiencing tremors after the earthquake which occurred on Sunday.

“It is a general fact-finding mission and then once we find anything, then there may be a more detailed mission,” Craig related.

He, however, explained that it is not abnormal for tremors to occur days after an earthquake has occurred. In fact, he posited that such was usually the case. Recently, in an interview with this newspaper, Research Fellow at the University of the West Indies (UWI)’s Seismic Research Centre, Lloyd Lynch, also related that the occurrence of such tremors after an earthquake was normal.

In simple terms, an earthquake is caused by sudden movement of the material that makes up the earth’s crust. The shaking that is felt is caused by the energy that is released in waves which travel through this crust following a sudden release of ‘stress’ caused by the continuous movements of the earth’s tectonic plates (which are pieces of the earth’s crust).

And Lynch explained that, simply, sometimes a rupture is not complete following the earthquake. Therefore, the area experiencing the ‘stress’ would have some aftershocks spreading throughout the space.

“It’s highly unlikely that [these aftershocks] will lead to something stronger,” the research fellow noted, while explaining that such occurrences gradually lose their strength as the days go by. Nevertheless, he highlighted that the gradual decline is not an absolute occurrence; it is possible for the tremors to become stronger.

REGION RATTLED

Sunday’s earthquake, and the subsequent tremors, has left Region Nine rattled. During a telephone interview on Friday, Toshao of Aishalton, Michael Thomas, said that the tremors occur mostly in the nights.

“We are afraid because we don’t know what it is exactly… and it is still very loud,” Thomas highlighted.

In the community of Katoonarib, which is approximately an hour’s drive away from Aishalton, the impact has been felt the strongest. Here, buildings and earth surfaces have been damaged. And, the regional authorities have been trying to provide relief.

Importantly, the Guyana Chronicle was informed that a primary school has been damaged in another neighbouring community, Sawariwau. Thomas explained that the walls are leaning and some sections of the building are damaged. This, he was informed, occurred since the earthquake struck on Sunday. The CDC Director-General said that his team will also investigate that today.

Meanwhile, the Director-General noted that the CDC has had several telephone conversations with the UWI’s Seismic Centre and that a meeting between the two bodies is set for Monday.

In a recent release, the CDC noted that it continues to monitor the impact of the 5.7 magnitude earthquake which was felt across Guyana on Sunday. The body said it would be partnering with the Ministry of Natural Resources to conduct further analysis, observation, and assessments to gain a comprehensive perspective of the region’s susceptibility to seismic hazard.

As part of assessment efforts, the CDC noted that it is in discussion with the UWI’s Seismic Research Centre and the Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency to provide technical support if the need arises.

“The result of these assessments could determine future actions which can include, but not limited to, conducting earthquake preparedness and response planning and training, evacuation drills and exploring the possibility of developing earthquake-resilient infrastructure codes for that region and, by extension, Guyana,” the release stated further.