Recognising dangers of earthquakes

DEXTER RIGSBY

AT 8.41 pm I was watching a movie on Netflix when it struck. Alone in my house, I felt my sofa shaking from side to side. My initial thought was to sprint through the front door if it lasted for one more second. It did not.

Like Jereem Richards at the 200m finish line, my mind then raced to the catastrophe occasioned by the two killer earthquakes of magnitude 7.7 and magnitude 6.4 that struck Myanmar and Thailand on March 28.

Myanmar absorbed the brunt of the disaster, reporting roughly 3,770 confirmed deaths and 5,100 people injured, as opposed to 22 deaths in Thailand and 35 injured. With a population of 55 million in Myanmar, 17 million of whom were affected and three million displaced, the devastation was tremendous.

Infrastructural impacts were also significant, evident by the collapse of a high-rise building in Thailand, coupled with the destruction of and damage to hospitals, health centres, roads, commercial buildings and private residences in Myanmar. In that country 80 per cent of the houses are built from wood and bamboo and so, although those structures may be more easily damaged or destroyed than a concrete and steel hybrid, they can be more readily rebuilt.

Fortunately, here in TT certified contractors largely conform to strict building codes where clay, concrete and steel are integral components for construction. As a result, most of the buildings in our country can withstand tremors with significant magnitudes, evident by the 7.3 quake that rocked TT on August 21, 2018. Except for minor damage to a few buildings and several cars flattened by falling concrete, we managed to escape that peril.

Nonetheless, the Caribbean is seismically active. Specifically, TT has an annual average of 260 earthquakes of magnitudes greater than 2.0. Significant occurrences for the Caribbean and Central America region for 2025 thus far are as follows:

* Magnitude 7.6 – Cayman Islands, February 8 at 7.23 pm. No damage or injuries were reported although a tsunami alert was established for several coasts in the Caribbean and Central America regions before being discontinued without incident. Houses are mainly built from mud, metal and wood.

* Magnitude 6.2 – Panama, March 21 at 10.50 pm. As with the Cayman Islands, there were no reports of damage or injuries and private residents are largely constructed using mud, metal and wood. No tsunami alert was warranted.

On average, tremors over 4.0 in strength affect TT every 15 days. So, our next “shake-up” could occur around May 26. It is also noteworthy that apart from the frightening 7.3 quake in 2018, 6.9 and 6.2 quakes shook Trinidad and Tobago in 2019 and 2024, respectively. While most of us reside in relatively sturdy structures, the frequency and intensity of earthquakes impacting TT is worrying.

The Office of Disaster Preparedness and Management provides helpful basic tips related to what to do before, during and after an earthquake along with relevant emergency contact numbers. However, a more holistic approach is required by the division, which should address the limited access to some communities.

It must be emphasised that time is always a crucial factor in rescue missions, where medical aid is urgently required. A significant challenge in the aftermath of a natural disaster is locating victims and the inability of rescuers to reach them promptly. Such would likely be the case for certain communities in TT should, God forbid, we be hit with a major earthquake, tsunami, hurricane or even insurrection.

Consider the large community located west of the Goodwood Avenue and Western Main Road intersection. From that point the Western Main Road is the only access road to and from Glencoe, Point Cumana, Carenage and Chaguaramas. This one way in and out scenario is untenable, evident by traffic nightmares that occur after Carnival fetes in Chaguaramas.

Matelot and Grand Riviere are other areas where residents endure a similar one road in and out situation.

Logic dictates that in terms of safety and convenience it is prudent to have more than one walk-in access to one’s house or business place, hence most buildings feature feature at least a front door and a back door.

The same concept should apply to communities. If one road is cut off, then residents in a community should be able to use another road to enter or exit the area. Certainly, for disasters air and sea may be utilised for rescues, but an alternative land access cannot be discounted since most rescues take place on land.

While guaranteeing two access roads for every community might seem impractical, it is feasible for the specified communities. Significant costs would be incurred as the initiative will involve cutting through miles of mountain terrain. But given the country’s current economic climate these ventures cannot be achieved at this time.

Notwithstanding, if earthquake frequencies and intensities begin to steadily increase, then priorities will need to shift to survival mode.