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| The damage that an earthquake can do. |
Scientists have expressed the opinion that Jamaica could have a major earthquake one day. Can you imagine if we experience an earthquake with a magnitude of 8 or more on the Richter scale? The tremor today reminded me of that possibility. I also recall that some years ago, when we had an earthquake, it took us about 6 hours before there was any official word on the earthquake.
What are some of the challenges we can face after an earthquake?
- A tsunami sometimes comes after an earthquake, and a tsunami can do significant damage to your coastal areas, and this would impact people living in those areas. A tsunami can travel 500 miles per hour or more.
- After an earthquake, we can lose utility services. A main concern that I have is that one or more of the dams could be damaged, and we cannot get any water.
- Hundreds of people could be injured.
- Power lines on the ground could pose a danger to people.
- There could be fires.
- People could be trapped in buildings.
- People could flock to the roads trying to reach a hospital to get medical attention, and this could result in gridlock on our roads.
- Houses and people could end up in massive openings in the ground.
- Many people will need assistance from first responders.
- Houses might be damaged, resulting in people having nowhere to reside.
These are a few things that can happen, and the nation needs to know how we will deal with them. We need to be prepared to deal with it at home, at schools and other institutions, in our communities, and nationally.
Before we get into all these challenges, the nation should get information about the earthquake immediately after the tremor, and people should be advised what to do, especially if a tsunami is pending.
The current procedure of the Earthquake Unit at the UWI first sending information to Jamaica House, ODPEM, and the army, is a bureaucratic system that must be abandoned now. An earthquake tremor is an emergency, and the people should not have to hear via secondhand information from ODPEM and other places. An Emergency Alert System has been set up so the Earthquake Unit at the UWI could send information to the whole news media at the press of a button. The media houses would release the information to the public. That is why homes across Jamaica must have radios.
There is far more to be done, which I cannot cover in one blog. I hope that the ODPEM can put material online so that people can have access to the information about preparing for that earthquake.
Audio: Professor Simon Mitchell
Please add your ideas as comments. This is a serious matter that we should start to have a national discussion about.
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Each household should have an Emergency Plan, maybe each family member should have an emergency bag, packed and ready to go. Each passing day the threat of a disaster seems more ominous and it is always better to be safe than sorry.
ReplyDeleteWe do not know where or when exactly this disaster will occur but let us be prepared nuh!! Maybe we need to travel with an emergency bag in our vehicles!
This is serious, let us take some action toward preparedness NOW!
God Bless and Jah Guide🫶🏻
Thanks for the above practical response. I look forward to Vernon’s next article.
ReplyDeleteIn many situations it is very difficult to know where to go for help.
KSAMC seems poised to level fines and penalty actions rather than helping communities to make the best problem solving decisions on wastewater issues for example.