December 23,2016

What happened this week?

Ecuador. 5.8 magnitude earthquake in Esmeraldas Province: Early this morning, December 19, a 5.8 magnitude earthquake was registered in the coasts of Atacames, Esmeraldas. According to the Geophysics Institute, 27 aftershocks with magnitudes between 2.9 and 4.2 have been registered in the same area. The earthquake was felt in the provinces of Guayas, Manabi, Pichincha and Santo Domingo. INOCAR dismissed necessary conditions to generate a tsunami in the coast of Ecuador. Classes were suspended in Esmeraldas and water pumps were closed as a preventive measure in Esmeraldas, Atacames and Rioverde. The provincial EOC has been activated and the local authorities together with the Army are attending the injured and surveilling the affected area. The damage assessment will be done by the Risk Management Secretariat and other institutions. According to latest report there have been 2 deaths, 10 injured, 20 damaged and 5 collapsed buildings. All health facilities are functional, the Hospital Juan Carlos Guasti in Atacames reported minor damage to its infrastructure... Read more

Bolivia. 600 families affected by overflowing of rivers in the Tropical Area: The overflowing of the Sajta and Chimoré Rivers in the municipalities of Puerto Villaroel and Chimoré, in the tropical area of Cochabamba, has affected 627 families and hundreds of hectares of crop fields. The communities affected by the flooding are: Puerto Villaroel, Manantal A, Tarija, Israel A, Sorpresa and Sajta Palmar Villa Victoria, Independencia, San Marcos and Puerto Chimoré... Read more

Interesting Facts

Tectonic shift? Study of olivine provides new data for measuring Earth's surface.

A recent study provides a new data set that scientists can use to better understand plate tectonics -- the movement of the earth's outer layer. Specifically, it contributes to understanding how plates are defined and measured, which is critical for developing computer models and predicting earthquake and volcano activity... Read more

What's new in Disaster Risk Reduction?

Mercocities focus on building resilience.A network of hundreds of cities across South America has pledged to step up regional efforts to reduce disaster risk and boost sustainable development... Read more