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Earthquake aftershock shakes Region Nine
– Minister urges residents not to relocate
Some of the affected properties in Lethem. (Source: Karlos Kroft)
Kaieteur News – Residents of Region Nine (Upper Takatu-Upper Essequibo) have been experiencing continuous earthquake aftershocks from the past week. This is according to Lethem’s Deputy Mayor, Debra King, and Head of the Civil Defence Commission (CDC), Colonel Kester Craig.
According to information from the Department of Public Information (DPI), Minister of Home Affairs, Robeson Benn, has since dispelled the fears of the residents of South Rupununi and urged them not to relocate.
On January 31, 2021, at around 15:10 hrs., a 5.7 magnitude earthquake hit near Boa Vista, Roraima, Brazil. The effects of the earthquake was felt throughout Guyana but was mostly felt in Region Nine which shares a border with Brazil. Reports by the Unites States Geological Survey (USGS) indicated that the earthquake was at a depth of 9.7 kilometers and 83 kilometers from Lethem.
Based on an update posted on the South Rupununi District Council’s Facebook page on Sunday evening, the Deputy Toshao of Katoonarib Village, South Rupununi, reported that around 18:43 hrs. the community felt their second hardest tremor, which was reportedly followed by thunderous rumbling.
When Kaieteur News contacted Deputy Mayor King, she stated that since then, residents in some communities have reported that they are feeling aftershocks and hearing thunder peals. Head of the CDC told this publication that it is normal to have aftershocks after an earthquake.
Over the weekend, Minister Benn, who is a geologist by profession, fellow geologist Leandro Pires, the Head of CDC and other members of the CDC, visited the communities that were affected, and conducted various assessments.
According to a DPI report, during a community meeting in Katoonarib on Saturday last, Minister Benn noted that earthquakes in that area were rare and persons should not migrate. The Minister said, “This is not necessary, and it will only cause enormous distress, dislocation and unnecessary expenditure of money. There is no need to leave your homestead to go to any other place.”
The Minister also rebuffed rumours that the earth’s plate shift was caused by the oil extraction activities in Guyana’s maritime space. He stated, “That is completely impossible. If that were the case, we would have lost the seawalls, the city of Georgetown and everything would have been in the ocean already. Not to happen all the way out here, some 700 miles in the Rupununi. It is totally unrelated, and I want to dispel those suggestions that it is related to oil extraction out on the coast or in the ocean.”
Kaieteur News had reported that Guyana did not record any loss of lives, but the Civil Defence Commission (CDC), reported that based on an assessment done by the Regional Disaster Response System, it was revealed that the walls of two schools were cracked, two homes and some earth surfaces were damaged in the Katoonarib and Sawariwau Communities, located in the Deep South Rupununi.
Following the first tremor, the CDC, in a press release stated that a series of assessments would be conducted to determine whether or not the country needs preparations for any future earthquake tremors.
In that press release, the CDC noted that the Commission would be collaborating with the Minister of Natural Resources, Vickram Bharrat, to conduct further analysis, observation, and assessments.
The release further stated that the assessment would be done to get a comprehensive perspective of Region Nine’s vulnerability to seismic hazard. A seismic hazard is the possibility of an earthquake occurring in a given geographical area.
According to the release, the Commission is also in discussion with the Seismic Research Centre of the University of the West Indies (UWI) and the Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency to provide technical support if needed.
The findings will determine future actions that will be taken by the CDC. The release stated that the actions include: conducting earthquake preparedness, response planning and training, and evacuation drills.
It also includes exploring the possibility of developing earthquake-resilient infrastructures for Region Nine and by extension Guyana. However, the actions by the Commission are not limited to those measures only, as the Region Nine Administration is providing support to the families that were affected by the impact of the earthquake.
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