In the first 3 weeks after the 1976 earthquake in Guatemala a system for collecting, analysing, and disseminating information of medical importance was instituted in the disaster area. 1.2. About 10:00am, we caught up with a couple who were also headed to Chimaltenango to find their son, so we traveled with them. Aftershock resulted in at least 101 more deaths. National Archives description "Summary: VS, US officer talking to Guatemalans. This earth-quake was followed by hundreds of aftershocks. Families will have loss of income due to the destruction of their livelihoods primarily related damage to the houses that functioned as micro. While the San Marcos province was not affected by the 1976 earthquake, in the 2012 event, a general failure of adobe and bahareque buildings was observed. Landslides in the mountains and on steep slopes were officially reported by CONRED (National Coordinator for Disaster Reduction). I left Eber with his family and spent the night in Patzún with Elder Kelly Robbins and Elder D Warnock. Deléón Susana. 1976 US Army Guatemala Earthquake Relief, 02/10/1976 by United States. 5. The earthquake had its greatest effect in eight provinces of Western Guatemala: Retalhuleu, Quetzaltenango, Sololá, Quiche, Totonicapán, San Marcos, Huehuetenango and Suchitepequez. 2. When the earth stopped shaking it was deadly silent. 6. 1 earthquake in the past 7 days. Among other issues not covered in this report are: Construction of infrastructure: too broad a scope to be discussed in this article. Suddenly we could hear the building breaking and crashing over us! On February 4, 1976, Guatemala was struck by a major 7.5 magnitude earthquake, which contributed to the high death toll of 23.000 and about 80.000 wounded. Inside our apartment in Comalapa after the quake. These departments have the highest population density in rural areas (61%), and a high concentration of indigenous people. The third record was obtained at Quixal in Alta Verapaz at about 235 km (146 mi) from the epicenter. Until recently there has been a non-uniform approach to drift control and hence collateral damage to contents; many elevator shafts are partially reinforced masonry, which will take longer to repair after they are damaged. Many aftershocks followed with additional damage being caused to weakened structures. The closest station to the affected area is located in the Marlin mine in the San Marcos province (see Figure 23) and reported a peak acceleration of only 4% g. Although there were not many confined masonry and reinforced concrete structures in the San Marcos province that collapsed, for the estimated accelerations, which are within a range from 20% to 40% of the design acceleration for the region, there were many buildings with major structural damage. CONRED is in the process of developing the mechanisms to identify the construction cases that are not complying and fine them accordingly. National Archives description "Summary: AV, damaged helicopter. We stumbled out of bed and over the rubble and into the hall. 800-900 deaths. The sector in the middle--the Maestros de Obra (masons and foremen)—is the best target to focus efforts to improve design and construction practices. The targeted stakeholders, implementation methods, outcomes, cost estimates, and expected duration are provided for each. Figure 4 shows the focal mechanism, the tensor solution and the rate of energy release as a function of time. Since 2012, the Municipality of Guatemala City has required that the CONRED risk-reduction mandates be followed in order to issue a construction permit; this includes the application of the AGIES provisions. Since we could not find a horse or a motorcycle, we headed out on foot about 9:30am. My bed is on the right. 4 people were killed and some damage was caused. See alternate photos 1, 2, and 3. The valley is a seismically active tectonic graben about 15 km (.93 mi) wide and some 400 km2 (154 sq mi) in extension. SEGEPLAN (2012) “Evaluación del Impacto del Terremoto del 7 de Noviembre de 2012 en Guatemala. No. Carretera Panamericana CA-1, Km. The poor design of the slope cuts made along the Pan American Highway and other roads triggered many of the slides, as shown in Figures 13 and 14. The 1996 peace accords, which ended 36 years of civil war, removed a major obstacle to foreign investment, and since then Guatemala has pursued important reforms and macroeconomic stabilization. Although the walls of these structures have a considerable width they lack vertical and horizontal reinforcement and there are no rigid diaphragms or reinforcing elements to keep the wall from separating and overturning during an earthquake. There was a canyon several hundred feet deep just a block from our house and with each succeeding tremor, we could hear more of the cliffs around it cave in. After the November 7 earthquake, the President declared a state of public calamity in the provinces affected by the event. Princeton Daily Clarion (Newspaper) - February 4, 1976, Princeton, Indiana Princeton Daily Clarion, Wednesday, February 4,1976 _____ Page 3 Hundreds of houses destroyed in Guatemala City earthquake By RAUL GONZALEZ GUATEMALA CITY I UPI) -A major earthquake inflicted heavy damage in Guatemala City today .and strong temblors rocked Salvador and Honduras. The Pacific belt, about 30 miles The earthquake that rocked Guatemala wide, lies between the Pacific and the on February 4, 1976, was the greatest re-mountains from Mexico to El Salvador. The noise was deafening. The Tajumulco Volcano is also located within an arched structure, caused by a volcano collapsing in an earlier time (see Figure 9). High levels of financial inequality continue to be a problem in Guatemala, as in most countries in LAC. The San Marcos Police Station 42 was severely damaged (See Figure 43). The Maestros de Obra and artisanal block manufacturers are responsible for more than half of the new dwellings and small-commercial buildings outside metropolitan areas. “Most of the members died in the rubble of their homes in the villages of Chimaltenango and Patzicía, about 40 miles north of Guatemala City. The quake, centered about 15 miles from the coastal city of Champerico occurred at a depth of 45 km (26 miles), and was felt throughout Central America and as far north as Mexico City. It is important to note that in Guatemala, unlike other countries, adobe bricks are manufactured by mixing silt with small amounts of clay. 5757. Confined masonry has been well described in the international technical literature (e.g., Meli et al, 2011) and needs no further description in this text. Pag. They were spared injury because the walls of the house fell outward and the gabled roof fell over their beds. Since there were 3,200 to 3,500 dead of the town’s population of 25,000, crews were organized to handle the burials. At this stage, a homeowner usually buys the cheapest blocks which tend to be of lower quality. The GoG housing program provides assistance only to homeowners. According to the report "Assessing the Impact of the Earthquake of November 7, 2012 in Guatemala", prepared by the Office of Planning and Programming of the Presidency of the Government of Guatemala, SEGEPLAN, there were 215 schools, 32 health institutions (including hospitals) and 16 public buildings with some kind of damage. After the November 7 earthquake, the President declared a state of public calamity immediately (Government Decree 3-2012) in the departments of Retalhuleu, Quetzaltenango, Solola, Quiche, Totonicapan, San Marcos and Huehuetenango. From 2002 to 2007, Guatemala experienced strong economic growth--from 3.2 % to 6.3 %--which slowed down in 2008 when inflation reached a peak of 11.4 %, the highest in 15 years (ACI, 2013). Confined masonry construction in Guatemala consists of masonry walls (made mainly with concrete blocks units) and reinforced concrete confining elements consisting of horizontal beams (soleras) and vertical columns (mochetas). Some damage was caused. Elders Gary Larson, Steven Schmollinger, and Fred Bernhardt had been sleeping in a little adobe house just outside the fence of the church grounds. Industrial buildings: Some industries, especially cement and mining, are extremely careful with the seismic vulnerability of their assets; others see themselves as being housed in lighter sheds and pay less attention to earthquakes. Army Language English. Typical problems of poor structural configuration in the area affected by the earthquake are as follows: Corner houses: This type of structure has most of the walls on the two sides that face the neighbors (see Figure 29), causing eccentricity problems that concentrate stresses on the exterior perimeter walls and columns due to the torsion that is generated. We could hear the furniture and our personal belongings being thrown about the room. Some damage was reported. Reinforced masonry is the most common construction system for dwellings in the country. Their homes were deathtraps, for the adobe was only mud and crumbled to crush and smother them. Listed are earthquakes with at least 10 dead. Elder Richman and Elder Larson cleaning out the missionary room in Comalapa, At our house in Comalapa, we found a note left by the zone leader, Elder Kirt Harmon. A hazard assessment of the 1976 Guatemala earthquake (M = 7.5) was conducted to achieve a better definition of the seismic hazard. The following two letters dated February 11, 1976 are two of many letters I wrote home, hoping that at least one of them would make it. In the National Hospital of San Marcos, the main damage was nonstructural damage to the hospital ceilings (See Figure 42). The Vice Presidency Office which oversees the municipalities also has developed the draft plans for enforcement but is awaiting the budget to implement it. Historical buildings in western Guatemala are mostly buildings from the beginning of the 20th century or earlier, made with unconfined masonry walls. (Learn more about the Miza family on the Comalapa page.) The 1976 Guatemala earthquake caused major destruction in Guatemala. 1. The damage and economic losses caused by the earthquake of November 7, 2012 amounted to 1,027 million Quetzales (more than USD 128 million), of which Q766 million represent partial or total destruction of housing (see Figure 35); Q423 million damage to schools (Q215 million) and costs associated with their use as shelters; and damage to road infrastructure (Q35 million), with economic effects of transportation interruption estimated at Q106 million. Touch device users, explore by . Increase number of local specialists in geology, seismology and earthquake engineering. The code does provide a means to account for increased shaking (the same method that UBC 97 once indicated), but its application is up to the design team and is not legally required. The wall by the side of my bed gave way and about 200 pounds of adobe covered my bed, wakening me from my sound sleep. Regarding specifications for the quality of materials, many ASTM provisions have been legally adopted under a local designation, by the government agency COGUANOR (Guatemalan Commission for Norms), but mainly for trading purposes. On the way, we passed a few people headed in to Comalapa and heard from them that the surrounding towns had been almost totally destroyed as well. The agricultural sector accounts for 13% of GDP and 38% of the labor force. I couldn’t believe that I was actually lying in bed trapped, unable to move my arms or legs. . We know how much you love the people there. Table 3 shows a summary of the most significant landslides in the region. Elder Taz Evans wrote the following: “The moment the earthquake hit, we were snatched from our beds and pulled outside. The damage and casualties caused by the 1976 earthquake triggered a migration to use a better construction system than adobe masonry, which was the preferred method of construction among the population in rural areas. Some damage was caused. The 1976 Guatemala earthquake struck on February 4 at 03:01:43 local time with a moment magnitude of 7.5. Año 23, No. These landslides caused hundreds of fatalities as well as extensive property damage. Landslides and mudflows may be better understood by a low-educated population but soil liquefaction, subsidence, and spreading may be more difficult to grasp as a hazard. And for the next hour, over the moaning we could hear the blood-chilling sound of someone chopping away at a large wooden post that pinned his loved one. Most of the damage was evident along the Champerico wharf. Over the past 40 years, the region within 250 km (155 mi) of the epicenter has had 50 earthquakes of M6 or greater. This will be the first time that rules and methods are provided specifically for smaller towns and rural areas in Guatemala. In this region, the Cocos plate moves north-northeast with respect to the Caribbean and North America plates at a velocity of approximately 71 mm per year (2.76 in/yr). Additionally, many of the finer points of the code specifications are blurred because they are in English. The performance of buildings with confined masonry was also affected by abuse of the system, because builders using empirical techniques generally do not understand that the system has limitations. Many times people start building the foundation and walls of the first level and sheet-metal is used for the roof. Earthquakes are not new to Guate- In 1983, our country office was permanently established. A description of the largest landslides, a discussion of failure mechanisms, a mapping of landslides throughout most of the landslide-affected area, and a mapping of landslide concentration in the Guatemala City area. The shock was centered on the Motagua Fault, about 160 km northeast of Guatemala City at a depth of 5 kilometers (3.1 mi) near the town of Los Amates in the department of Izabal. Gobierno de Guatemala, Secretaría de Planificación y Programación de la Presidencia –SEGEPLAN. The Catholic cathedral made of brick and mortar in the town square in Patzicía, Guatemala, was also broken into pieces. On the far right are white doors that were jammed shut, so we crawled out the hole in the wall to the left of the doors to escape to the inner patio. Read a summary of the devastation caused by the Guatemalan earthquake of 1976. Carrying members to the Patzicía cemetery. 5757. I thrust my hand upward waving it frantically and shouting for help. macroseismic data for an appropriate seismic hazard assessment. by Daniel L. Haulman. It is difficult to estimate the actual intensity of the earthquake in the affected areas, as there are very few accelerometers in operation throughout Guatemala and most are concentrated in the capital city. The pink wall on the right is the outside wall of our room. They are the ones who deserve the credit and I do not want to betray them. It has suffered several dramatic earthquakes during the last century, the most destructive of which was the event associated with the Motagua fault, occurred on 4, February 1976, that caused 23,000 deaths, and 77,200 injuries. It was the most destructive that the country had experienced in more . I wondered if the town would rebuild or if it would turn into a ghost town. 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