2012 Guatemala earthquake

Coordinates: 13°59′13″N 91°57′54″W / 13.987°N 91.965°W / 13.987; -91.965
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2012 Guatemala earthquake
2012 Guatemala earthquake is located in Guatemala
2012 Guatemala earthquake
Guatemala City
Guatemala City
Champerico
Champerico
Quetzaltenango
Quetzaltenango
San Marcos
San Marcos
UTC time2012-11-07 16:35:45
ISC event601879562
USGS-ANSSComCat
Local dateNovember 7, 2012 (2012-11-07)
Local time10:35:45
Magnitude7.4 Mw
Depth24.1 km (15.0 mi)[1]
Epicenter13°59′13″N 91°57′54″W / 13.987°N 91.965°W / 13.987; -91.965[1]
Areas affectedGuatemala
Max. intensityMMI VII (Very strong)[1]
Casualties139 dead, 155 injured[2][3]

The 2012 Guatemala earthquake occurred on November 7 at 10:35:45 local time. The shock had a moment magnitude of 7.4 and a maximum Mercalli Intensity of VII (Very strong). The epicenter was located in the Pacific Ocean, 35 kilometres (22 mi) south of Champerico in the department of Retalhuleu.[1] The affected region is earthquake-prone, where the Cocos Plate is being subducted along the Middle America Trench beneath the North American and the Caribbean Plates, near their triple junction.[4]

The quake was reportedly felt in Guatemala and in parts of Mexico, El Salvador, Belize, Honduras, Nicaragua and Costa Rica.[5] Damage to buildings was reported in several cities in Guatemala, including San Marcos, Quetzaltenango and the capital Guatemala City.[6] The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center issued a warning about the possibility of a local tsunami within 160 to 320 km (100 to 200 mi) of the epicenter.[7]

With 139 deaths,[2] this is the most intense and deadliest earthquake that has hit Guatemala since the earthquake of 1976.[3][8][9]

Damage and casualties by country[edit]

Guatemala[edit]

San Marcos, Quetzaltenango, Sololá, Totonicapán, Quiché and Huehuetenango were the hardest hit departments.[10][11] Preliminary reports mention a death toll of at least 139 in Guatemala,[2] of which at least 29 were in San Marcos, 11 in Quetzaltenango, and 2 in Sololá.[6][12] According to the minister of energy of Guatemala, the earthquake left 73,000 households without power.[13] The Guatemalan president initially declared a 30-day "state of calamity" in the departments of Retalhuleu, Sololá, Totonicapán, San Marcos, Quetzaltenango, Quiché and Huehuetenango.[11][14] The "state of calamity" was subsequently prolonged until being revoked on July 25, 2013.[15][16] In Guatemala, as of November 11, 9,414 houses were found damaged, and 18,755 people were evacuated, 7,218 of which stayed in 61 refuges.[3][17] The Pan-American Highway in Guatemala (CA-1) was damaged.[18]

Finite fault model of the earthquake
Heavy damage to buildings in San Marcos, Guatemala
Damaged buildings in the city of San Marcos, a few seconds after the earthquake

There were collapsed buildings and reported deaths and injuries in San Marcos. Accounts of deaths and injuries in San Marcos were initially difficult to confirm due to communication interruption and roads blocked by landslides.[19] Many people in San Marcos, fearing possible aftershocks, gathered on the cold and dark streets.[20] At least 50 houses were damaged in El Quetzal, 9 of which no longer inhabitable, and the dwellers had to take refuge in the community public school.[21][22] More than 300 people stayed in 10 refuges in the department.[20] Lack of water in the refuges in San Pedro Sacatepéquez and San Marcos due to the collapse of piping caused preoccupations about the sanitary conditions.[23]

Eight people were buried in a landslide in Concepción Chiquirichapa.[24] 156 houses were damaged in Quetzaltenango Department, and government buildings in Quetzaltenango City (Xela) were slightly damaged.[25]

Retalhuleu, situated in the south, is close to the epicenter. The Departmental Palace of Retalhuleu, a historical building, was damaged, which caused the government offices therein to be relocated.[26]

Sololá reported the most damaged houses with number of 4,756, followed by 3,870 in San Marcos.[18]

Cracks were reported in Palacio Nacional de la Cultura in Guatemala City, a former government seat built between 1939 and 1943.[27]

Some houses of the coffee growers were damaged. No major damage was reported for agricultural products such as coffee, vegetables and potatoes.[28]

Mexico[edit]

Minor damage was reported in the state of Chiapas, where public buildings were evacuated, and telephone and internet services were interrupted.[29] Over a dozen buildings in Chiapas had cracked; the city hall of Tapachula, the installations of the Desarrollo Integral de la Familia, along with a school in Ciudad Hidalgo, were among the structures affected.[30]

In Oaxaca, several aftershocks of the earthquake were felt throughout various communities.[31][32] The quake was also felt in the states of Campeche, Guerrero, Michoacán, Morelos, Puebla and Tabasco.[33]

In Mexico City, workers rushed to the streets from the office buildings, and no major damage was reported.[8][34]

El Salvador[edit]

In El Salvador, many urban dwellers evacuated their homes in the capital city, but there were no reports of any damage.[35]

Nicaragua[edit]

Nicaragua emitted a tsunami alert after the quake and alerted several communities along the coastlines to mobilize to higher altitudes.[36]

Relief and reconstruction[edit]

The minister of finance of Guatemala expressed that 800 million quetzales were ready for covering emergent needs due to the earthquake. The Ministry of Health of Guatemala assigned 1 million quetzales to the hospital of San Marcos and dispatched two trucks with medicines.[10] In Guatemala City, various organizations collected donated provisions for people affected by the earthquake.[37] The minister of interior announced a fund of 25 million quetzales for the reconstruction of damaged police stations, prisons, and government buildings.[38]

The United States Ambassador to Guatemala announced to offer 50,000 USD to Coordinadora Nacional para la Reducción de Desastres (CONRED) for immediate humanitarian help. The United States and Taiwan would offer 110,000 USD in total as economical support. The Inter-American Development Bank would offer 200,000 USD. Various countries offered to provide help in personnel or matter, including Venezuela and Chile.[39] World Food Programme offered 72 tonnes of emergency food aid.[40]

On November 9, the authorities started the evaluation of the damaged houses in San Marcos and San Pedro Sacatepéquez to decide which to be repaired and which to be demolished and rebuilt.[41] The reconstruction in San Marcos had started on November 27.[42] It was estimated that the reconstruction of the houses could need at least a year.[18]

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b c d "M7.4 - 35km S of Champerico, Guatemala". United States Geological Survey. Retrieved November 8, 2012.
  2. ^ a b c USGS Deaths From Earthquakes in 2012 Archived March 27, 2013, at the Wayback Machine
  3. ^ a b c "Crece número de evacuados y casas dañadas". prensalibre.com. Archived from the original on November 12, 2012. Retrieved January 17, 2022.
  4. ^ See legend in map.
  5. ^ "Guatemala: 48 muertos y 23 desaparecidos deja terremoto". La Prensa (Honduras) (in Spanish). November 7, 2012. Archived from the original on February 17, 2013. Retrieved January 8, 2017.
  6. ^ a b "Guatemala earthquake kills dozens in mountain villages". BBC News. November 8, 2012. Retrieved November 8, 2012.
  7. ^ Perez Diaz, Sonia (November 7, 2012). "Guatemala Earthquake 2012: USGS Reports Strong Quake". The Huffington Post. Retrieved November 8, 2012.
  8. ^ a b Fausset, Richard (November 7, 2012). "7.4 earthquake kills at least 39 in Guatemala". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved November 8, 2012.
  9. ^ "Sube a 52 la cifra de muertos en Guatemala". El Universal (in Spanish). November 8, 2012. Retrieved November 8, 2012.[permanent dead link]
  10. ^ a b Rojas, Alex (November 8, 2012). "Terremoto centra daños en el occidente del país". Prensa Libre (in Spanish). Retrieved November 8, 2012.
  11. ^ a b Lara, Julio (November 8, 2012). "Presidente confirma estado de Calamidad por terremoto". Prensa Libre (in Spanish). Guatemala City. Archived from the original on November 8, 2012. Retrieved November 8, 2012.
  12. ^ "Sube a 52 cifra de muertos por terremoto en Guatemala". Milenio (in Spanish). November 8, 2012. Archived from the original on January 3, 2013. Retrieved November 8, 2012.
  13. ^ "Guatemala: 48 muertos y 23 desaparecidos deja terremoto" (in Spanish). LaPrensa.hn. Archived from the original on February 17, 2013. Retrieved November 11, 2012.
  14. ^ Por Irene De León Prensa Libre.Com (November 9, 2012). "Publican estado de Calamidad y duelo nacional por terremoto". Prensalibre.com. Retrieved November 11, 2012.
  15. ^ "Estado de Calamidad por terremoto se amplía otro mes más". www.prensalibre.com. Archived from the original on June 5, 2013. Retrieved January 17, 2022.
  16. ^ "Gobierno deroga estado de Calamidad". www.prensalibre.com. Archived from the original on July 25, 2013. Retrieved January 17, 2022.
  17. ^ "Sube el número de personas albergadas por sismo". prensalibre.com. Archived from the original on November 12, 2012. Retrieved January 17, 2022.
  18. ^ a b c "Daños por terremoto se concentran en tres departamentos". prensalibre.com. Archived from the original on November 15, 2012. Retrieved January 17, 2022.
  19. ^ "Guatemala earthquake kills dozens". The Guardian. November 7, 2012. Retrieved November 8, 2012.
  20. ^ a b Lara, Julio (November 8, 2012). "Remueven escombros y localizan más víctimas en San Marcos". Prensa Libre (in Spanish). Archived from the original on November 8, 2012. Retrieved November 8, 2012.
  21. ^ Por Alexander Coyoy San Marcos (November 7, 2012). "Reportan 50 viviendas con daños en El Quetzal, San Marcos". Prensalibre.com. Retrieved November 11, 2012.
  22. ^ Por Alexander Coyoy San Marcos (November 8, 2012). "Damnificados en El Quetzal piden ayuda porque temen ser olvidados". Prensalibre.com. Retrieved November 11, 2012.
  23. ^ Por A. Marroquín (November 23, 2012). "Agua escasea en albergues". Prensalibre.com. Retrieved December 28, 2016.
  24. ^ Ventura, Carlos (November 8, 2012). "Al menos diez personas mueren en Quetzaltenango por el sismo". Prensa Libre (in Spanish). Quetzaltenango. Retrieved November 8, 2012.
  25. ^ Hernández, Luis (November 8, 2012). "Radiografía de la tragedia". El Quetzaltenango (in Spanish). Archived from the original on November 11, 2012. Retrieved November 8, 2012.
  26. ^ Tizol, Jorge Germán (November 8, 2012). "Sismo daña edificio histórico". Prensa Libre (in Spanish). Retrieved November 8, 2012.
  27. ^ "Palacio Nacional tiene fisuras". prensalibre.com. Archived from the original on November 12, 2012. Retrieved January 17, 2022.
  28. ^ Por Roxana Larios Y Byron Dardón. "Café reporta daños en su estructura". Prensalibre.com. Retrieved November 11, 2012.
  29. ^ Chávez, Hermes (November 7, 2012). "Chiapas, sin pérdidas materiales y humanas tras sismo: PC". Milenio (in Spanish). Chiapas. Archived from the original on January 29, 2013. Retrieved November 8, 2012.
  30. ^ Mariscal, Ángeles (November 8, 2012). "Guatemala queda en "alerta roja" luego de terremoto de 7.2 grados". CNNMéxico (in Spanish). Retrieved November 8, 2012.
  31. ^ Rodríguez, Oscar (November 7, 2012). "Realizan en Oaxaca recorridos de vigilancia tras sismo de 7.3". Milenio (in Spanish). Archived from the original on January 29, 2013. Retrieved November 8, 2012.
  32. ^ "Un sismo de 7.3 grados remece el sur de México y Centroamérica". CNNMéxico (in Spanish). November 7, 2012. Retrieved November 8, 2012.
  33. ^ Mandujano, Isaín (November 7, 2012). "Suman 39 muertos y más de 100 desaparecidos por sismo en Guatemala; en México, saldo blanco". Proceso (in Spanish). Retrieved November 8, 2012.
  34. ^ "No reportan daños en el DF tras sismo". El Informador (in Spanish). November 7, 2012. Retrieved November 8, 2012.
  35. ^ Ruiz Goiriena, Romina (November 8, 2012). "Sismo Guatemala: Aumentan a 52 los muertos, cientos heridos". The Huffington Post (in Spanish). Retrieved November 8, 2012.
  36. ^ "Emite Nicaragua alerta de tsunami tras sismo en Guatemala". Milenio (in Spanish). Managua. November 7, 2012. Archived from the original on January 28, 2013. Retrieved November 8, 2012.
  37. ^ De León, Irene (November 8, 2012). "Guatemaltecos organizan formas de ayudar a víctimas de terremoto". Prensa Libre (in Spanish). Archived from the original on November 8, 2012. Retrieved November 8, 2012.
  38. ^ "Q25 millones para reconstruir". prensalibre.com. Archived from the original on November 12, 2012. Retrieved January 17, 2022.
  39. ^ Por La Redacción. "Naciones envían ayuda a Guatemala". Prensalibre.com. Archived from the original on November 9, 2012. Retrieved November 11, 2012.
  40. ^ "72 tonnes of food aid for quake-struck Guatemala: WFP | WFP | United Nations World Food Programme - Fighting Hunger Worldwide". WFP. Archived from the original on December 29, 2016. Retrieved December 28, 2016.
  41. ^ Por Prensa Libre.Com Guatemala. "Autoridades derriban viviendas dañadas por el terremoto". Prensalibre.com. Archived from the original on January 31, 2013. Retrieved November 11, 2012.
  42. ^ "Pérez da inicio a reconstrucción de viviendas en San Marcos". prensalibre.com. Archived from the original on November 27, 2012. Retrieved January 17, 2022.
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External links[edit]

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