The president, Donald Trump, declared on Thursday a major disaster zone in six municipalities of Puerto Rico due to earthquakes that have affected the island since last month. When located in the so-called Caribbean Plate , in an area of active seismic activity, the tremors will continue, an expert warned.
Trump had faced pressure from the governor of Puerto Rico, Wanda Vázquez Garced, opposition leaders and Hispanic civic groups, to issue the major disaster declaration, which releases federal funds for response operations.
According to a White House statement, Trump's decision will release federal funds for individuals and businesses in affected areas in the municipalities of Guánica, Guayanilla, Peñuelas, Ponce, Utuado, and Yauco.
Available grants include funds for debris removal, temporary housing assistance, home repairs, loans to respond to property losses not covered by insurance, and other programs.
The series of earthquakes, including one with a magnitude of 6.4 on the Richter scale, generated numerous damage to homes, water and electricity cuts, and left its inhabitants in a permanent alarm situation.
Congress is expected to approve $ 3,400 million of financial aid before the end of the month, which will be used to fix schools, road reconstruction and community development, according to the summary of the project to which Politico agreed.
Since last January 7, when the most recent earthquake occurred, there have been 257 earthquakes with a magnitude of at least 3, which are those that can be perceived by people. Ten of these telluric movements had a magnitude of at least 5, that is, strong enough to cause damage .
The United States Seismological Service (USGS) has indicated that Puerto Rico has in its history at least a couple of large-scale earthquakes, which should force the population to always prepare.
On October 11, 1918, according to the Seismic Network of the island, there was an earthquake of magnitude 7.3 that caused landslides and cracks in the ground, and was followed by a tsunami. 116 people died and there were losses of $ 4 million, according to CNN.
Almost 25 years later, on July 29, 1943, the largest earthquake in the history of the island was recorded, reaching a magnitude of 7.7, according to USGS data. In 1990 there was another of magnitude 6 and in 2014 one of 6.4 was recorded that caused less damage than that of 2020, because it occurred farther from the coast.
“ People should be prepared for earthquakes in Puerto Rico , since there is a history of earthquakes there. It has been an active earthquake zone, ”explains seismologist Paul Caruso of the USGS in an interview with Telemundo News.
Although the occurrence of earthquakes is common on the island and throughout the Caribbean, the striking thing is that so many have been recorded in a short period of time, according to the expert.
“We call it a swarm of earthquakes . This occurs in different parts of the world, usually after a major earthquake. In this case, the swarm was generated by the 6.4 earthquake, ”says Caruso, who anticipates that the island will continue to feel earthquakes in the coming days .
Based on the historical data and three prediction models, the seismological service states that there is a 56% chance of an event of magnitude 5 or greater in the next 30 days. That percentage falls to 9, for the forecast of events of magnitude 6 or greater.
“The earthquakes are expected to continue, but each time of lesser magnitude. There is only 1% chance of any of magnitude 7 or more happening, ”says Caruso.
The planet is made up of 15 main tectonic plates. When they are in opposition to each other (convergence) they generate stress and tension in faults that, at a certain moment, move by releasing that energy and causing the Earth's movement.
The main tectonic plates. Puerto Rico is located on the Caribbean Plate, which opposes the North American Plate. Photo: AFP.
The Caribbean Plate moves in opposition to the North American Plate . Although they occurred in different faults, the Puerto Rico earthquake finds a similarity to that in Haiti in 2010, which was 7.0 magnitude and caused more than 300,000 deaths, according to the BBC.
"There is still not enough research on earthquakes in Puerto Rico to establish a relationship between the two events," explains Caruso.
The earthquake of 6.4 on January 7 left one dead, several injured and some 346 refugees who lost their homes. Other hundreds have been affected by power outages, forcing the local government to declare a state of emergency.
The USGS has recalled a series of measures that residents can take to protect themselves in case of a new large-scale earthquake.
Slow response from the United States
In the midst of the crisis, the Donald Trump Administration has been the target of criticism for retaining a $ 18 billion aid package for Puerto Rico, which were destined to help the island after the devastation left by Hurricanes Irma and Maria in 2017 . He had only disbursed $ 1.5 billion of aid.
Puerto Rico has been US territory since 1898, after the war with Spain, and functions as a “free associated state” since 1952. Trump has closed the door to the possibility of the island becoming State 51.
The Department of Housing and Urban Development reported on Wednesday that the government has already released the rest of the money destined to repair the country after the hurricanes , for a total of $ 16,000 million, but this is expected to be made official in the federal registry .
That aid, however, contains ties : Puerto Rico must submit detailed budget plans to the fiscal board; suspend the regulation of paying a minimum wage of $ 15 per hour for federally funded projects, and reform its property registration base.
Prior to Trump's announcement today, the U.S. Department of Transportation approved the immediate shipment of $ 5 million to repair roads and bridges that were damaged.
Why do earthquakes occur
(The correspondent, María Peña, contributed information from Washington).
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