Earthquake
rocks T&T
By Kayode James
The Trinidad Guardian
Port
Spain
Petroleumworldtt.com
10 01 06
T&T
was spared tragedy once again as yet another explosion
of nature failed to inflict major structural damage
or injury across either island.
However,
the mid-morning 5.8 earthquake caused widespread
disruptions in public utilities, and dozens of reports
of minor damage to buildings emerged before a weaker
5.1 aftershock hit in the early afternoon.
According
to reports from the Office of Disaster Preparedness
and Management (ODPM) and the UWI Seismic Research
Unit, the quake hit at 9.08 am, and emanated from
an epicentre less than 5km off the north coast of
Trinidad.
The
earthquake also sent thousands of Venezuelans scampering
out into the streets, and was felt as far as Grenada.
The
T&T Electricity Commission (T&TEC) reported
interruptions in its supply to most of the north-east
of the island, much of the East-West Corridor, and
Tobago, as six of its generating units tripped.
Pt Lisas was particularly affected by the power
outages.
The
power disruptions stalled operations at more than
a dozen WASA water treatment plants, including those
in Caroni, Aripo, Valsayn, Maraval and Fyzabad.
As
late as yesterday evening, T&TEC maintenance
personnel were working on the affected equipment.
Cable
television was similarly affected by the electrical
interruptions, but Columbus spokesman Rhea Yaw Ching
said the company would be working throughout the
day to stabilise any outages in the service.
The
Fire Service was only called to tend to a handful
of trouble scenes in the aftermath of the quake,
including a minor gas leak at the International
School in Westmoorings, and a stuck elevator at
the Agricultural Development Bank on Henry Street.
Seismic
unit: 5.8 on Richter scale
Early
reports from United States Geological Survey cited
the quake’s magnitude as 6.0 on the Richter
scale, and the figure was widely reported throughout
the day.
However,
a release from the UWI Seismic Research Unit indicated
a preliminary magnitude of 5.5.
“Our
instruments are closer to the epicentre and we also
have a better distribution of instruments near the
source of the earthquake so we are confident that
our magnitude of 5.5 is accurate,” stated
the release.
The
unit later amended its figure to 5.8.
The
unit also noted the possibility of similar or weaker
aftershocks, but emphasised that it had not issued
warnings that a larger earthquake would occur later
that day.
“We
hope that the earthquake will serve as a strong
reminder (to the general public) that both (of our)
islands lie in an area of high earthquake activity
in the Caribbean,” said unit education officer
Stacy Edwards.
“It’s
not a surprise, sudden, or an unusual event,”
she said.
Neither
was it, said Edwards, the strongest earthquake to
hit the island in recent decades.
As
of yesterday evening, the unit was still finalising
its findings of the quake, and is expected to release
a final result and comparisons today.
Edwards
also dismissed fears that the quakes could cause
a tsunami, explaining that they were both too weak.
She
reiterated the need for disaster preparedness, and
urged the public to head to the unit’s Web
site at www.uwiseismic.com for earthquake survival
tips.
Trouble
calls
Fire
Service officials responded to:
Reports
of a large crack in the BPTT building at Queen’s
Park West.
Reports
of a large crack in the Ministry of Science, Technology
and Tertiary Education building in St James.
A
minor gas leak at the International School in Westmoorings.
A
stuck elevator at the Agricultural Development Bank
in Port-of-Spain.
Damage
to schools
The
Ministry of Education reported significant structural
damage to:
La
Veronica RC
Arima
Girls’ RC
El
Dorado Secondary Comprehensive
Santa
Marie RC
Robert
Village Hindu
Morvant
Laventille Secondary
Debe
High
The
Trinidad Guardian
Saturday 30th September, 2006
Copyright
©2005-2006 Trinidad Publishing Company Limited
. All Rights Reserved.
