I thought it would be a good idea to show to the rest of the world why one of the best features Mexico has is our prevention culture in what respects to earthquakes. In my experience, I've know and suffered from earthquakes since I have memory and, I also remember that since I was in kindergarten we were always repeated the same thing in what respects to this natural disaster: 'one minute can make a world of difference while the earth is moving'. I have heard from other places of the world that only Japanese and Mexicans have a solid culture of prevention. This post will explain a bit of why we have it, and what we had to suffer for this to be as such.
I have always been of the idea that in order to learn a valuable lesson humans have to experience two things: either an amazing happiness or a deep sorrow. I would say that catastrophes always teach the world that nature is the most powerful being and that she will always be above all of us, and also that whatever we do to damage our sorrounding environment will force us to pay with a high interest rate, this is pretty much why global waming is a reality.
Earthquakes do not happen on the whole world, the most common areas in which earth likes to move from time to time is on those countries who border the Pacific Ocean, which besides of being the largest on the world, it has the most fascinating and complex geological features such as the 'Ring of Fire' (a group of volcanoes that are under the sea and that starts from Oceania, goes through Asia and ends in South America.
This ring includes numerous faults that make all countries to have earthquakes from time to time.
In Mexico we have a fault under the sea. This fault is located under the provinces of Guerrero and Oaxaca and it consists or two different continental plaques that are always smashing with each other. This fault is the main cause for eartquakes in the country, apart from the Popocatépetl volcano located in the province of Puebla that is still active. San Andreas Fault, which passes through lower California, also makes the cities in the penninsula to be seismic.
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| Popocatépetl volcano |
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| The lines show the plaques division. The joint is exactly under Oaxaca and Guerrero. |
Eartquakes have varied intensity however on September 19, 1985 Mexicans residing in Mexico City faced of the worst horrors ever seen in the country's history when an eartquake hit the city in such way, that the central zones were reduced to rubble. Mexico City was built on Texcoco Lake, and the soil in the central zones is particularly soft, this is why earthquakes are worse in the city center and nearby zones. The city center is comprised by the main square and from there, 10 kilometers. The Roma, Condesa and Tlatelolco neighbourhoods some of the main hospital, among others, were reduced to dust and around 10 000 people died. Mexico entered to a state of emergency for second time in history (the first was during Manuel Ávila Camacho's presidential term, when Germany sank Mexican boats and Mexico declared war to the Axis). Thousands of airplanes coming from Belgium, United States, Sweden, Swtizerland, the Red Cross etc. sent help and people to the country.
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| Neighbourhood in the center of the city |
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| Ministry of Communication half-destroyed |
President Miguel de la Madrid was in charge during this time and, thanks to this earthquake, phone service was free until the nineties, then building procedures were redesigned (this is why, up to now, we have not had any building falling down during earthquakes) and today Mexican rescue teams for earthquakes are of the best and are required worldwide when earthquakes happen and also, Mexico gives aid of special things that are used in the aftermaths of earthquakes for satisfying basic needs, such as small water treatment plants. Mexico has sent people to Haiti and China for helping earthquake victims.
Thanks to this catastrophe, Mexico today has a deeply embedded prevention culture in what respects to what to do with earthquakes and this is something that deserves respect and makes my country admirable. People are taught to keep calm and also not to run, yell or push when they are trying to get from a building, as well as not using the lift when in a big building. These apparently simple measures have saved Mexicans from bigger catastrophes and, even if to the eyes of the rest of the world this is not important, it is precisely for this reason that in Italy and in China not to say Haiti, there have been so many fatalities on earthquakes.
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| Mexican Navy Forces with rescue dogs in Haiti |
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