Week 3 Seismicity

 

Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic



According to the U.S. Embassy, seismicity of the Dominican Republic is considered moderate. The country has experienced approximately 1 earthquake per year and most recently experienced a magnitude 5.3 earthquake on February 1, 2023.  Following the earthquake on February 1st, the Emergency Operations Center (COE) activated a contingency plan.  


   

The image above from the World Bank Group is a representation of earthquake risk. The scale ranges
from a lighter green representing lower annual average losses (AAL) to a darker green representing a higher ratio of AAL. A factor of a higher AAL estimate is the proportion of vulnerable structures. 




The image above from USGS is an interactive map showing the locations of the most recent earthquake impacting the Dominican Republic. The blue circle represents the magnitude 3.4 earthquake that occurred on February 7, 2023. 


The United States Embassy in the Dominican Republic shares resources such as the U.S. Geological Survey and FEMA to provide information on disaster preparedness such as earthquakes. 


Institutions such as the BRGM (French Geological Survey) and IGME (United Nations Inter-agency Group for Child Mortality Estimation) in collaboration with the Dominican Geological Survey conduct risk assessments to better risk prevention. The BRGM describes the significance of the urban areas in Santo Domingo due to their larger populations, poor urban planning and tricky terrain. 




References: 
https://www.gfdrr.org/sites/default/files/publication/Final_CDRP_DR-eng.pdf
https://do.usembassy.gov/u-s-citizen-services/local-resources-of-u-s-citizens/hurricane-disaster-preparedness/distaster-preparedness/
https://dominicantoday.com/dr/local/2023/02/01/the-coe-activates-contingency-plan-after-earthquake-of-5-3/
https://www.brgm.fr/en/reference-completed-project/seismic-risk-prevention-dominican-republic

Comments

  1. The Bahamas of the CaribbeanFebruary 9, 2023 at 7:09 PM

    Excellent Post! valuable information and sources you have, I wanted to view yours in particular since we share the same air! (speaking in terms of Geographical placement). The scale showing earthquake risks in certain areas can prove to be handy for someone in the region. And the fact that there are surveys such as the French Geological Survey and the Dominican Geological Survey working hand-in-hand to conduct risk assessments is great preparation to help prevent a catastrophe in the future!

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