It’s been a rough few years for the people of Puerto Rico, who have been dealing with more than their fair share of natural disasters.
At Juvare, we are continuing to support and work with our client partners in Puerto Rico to respond to the 6.4 magnitude earthquake that struck on Jan. 7, and number of aftershocks.
Still recovering from the massive damage caused by Hurricane Maria in 2017, the U.S. Territory in the northeast Caribbean, this latest earthquake and its aftershocks significantly damaged or destroyed thousands of buildings, businesses, schools, and homes according to a recent report. The USGS estimates 7,500 people have left their homes for other types of shelter, including sleeping on sidewalks, or in tents or cars.
To help, Juvare Gurus™ worked alongside Puerto Rican emergency managers to help ensure their WebEOC boards and workflows are operating at full potential, including assisting with the design of a shelter status board (featured in the screencast below) to get real-time updates on emergency shelters to keep responders updated and coordinated in helping the citizens of Puerto Rico.
According to the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), a sequence of earthquakes began in southwest Puerto Rico with the first registering a magnitude of 4.7 on Dec. 28. A much larger earthquake struck the island with a magnitude 6.4 mainshock on Jan. 7. So far, more than 300 earthquakes greater than magnitude 3 have followed, many in quick succession.
The earthquake on Jan. 7, the strongest to hit the island in a century, and knocked out power and left many without water. USGS reported there were 18 aftershocks of magnitude 3 or greater, “a size that people can feel” – between midday Jan. 14 and midday Jan. 15; and 10 earthquakes of magnitude 5 or greater in the sequence, a size that can cause damage. Aftershocks over last weekend also triggered a tsunami warning for Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands, which has since expired.
We continue to closely monitor the response efforts and as always, Juvare stands ready to support all of our partners responding to natural disasters.
