LATEST NEWS ABOUT THE LEEWARD ISLANDS EARTQUAKES

[HUC]

The event of february the 14th,is now considered by some scientists as a new eartquake,and no more as an afterschock of the 6.4(the magnitude has been revised)that occured the 21th of november 2004.
The director of the official"Physical institute of Paris",says in a communication that it's possible that a new eathquake may occur under the Soufrière volcano of Guadeloupe;in this case much more damages are expected.Apparently,there is an other fault,that pass under the volcano,and continuing to Montserrat,that may becoming activated;the schocks seems to migrate along this fault...
In terms of volcanic impacts,at the present time,it seems that some evolution are in place under the Soufrière of Guadeloupe,but any éruption should take a long time to go(except if a new quake occured under the volcano)
For all of us that are living in the south part of Guadeloupe,this is a difficult situation;the schock of february ths 14th added damages to houses,mainly in Los Santos(12kms south of the southern tip of Basse-Terre)The access by car to the volcano,is impossible since november,and the authorities are asking them,if this road will ever be opened!!!
So stay tuned for other informations;but be sure that anywhere,and at any moment in the carribean,a major eartquake(magnitude 7,or 8)WILL,yes,WILL occured,as it was the case several times in rhe past.
We have all to be prepared,and very seriously,to this event.....

[canegrl04]

A magnitude 8 or greater quake in the Carribean would send a tsunami to the US East coast

[msbee]

a large earthquake in the Caribbean could cause more damage to the Caribbean islands than hurricanes do.
it's a scary thought!
and here is no way to prepare for an earthquake. we know how to prepare for hurricanes now, but a major earthquake has the potential for a great catastrophe.
Barbara

[HUC]

Yes,but there are things to do,and things not to do:for example,you never used stairs,or escalators during a earthquake,its the worst thing to do.You had to be closed to the walls,or under a door,somewhere the house is more sure.
All of us in the carribean have to take this hazard very seriously,and learned the postures in case of a schock,that is inevitable,one day ............

[msbee]

it's happened before; it can happen again

[Persepone]

Go to: http://www.seismic.ca.gov/ website for a "Homeowner's Guide to Earthquake Safety.

There is a lot of information on that website that might be helpful for preparing for a potential earthquake. In Japan they have earthquake safety drills regularly and apparently they save a lot of lives.

Also, in the event of a sizeable earthquake in the Carribean, a Tsunami is also a threat. Just knowing some of the warning signs, having an idea of the best routes to higher ground, etc. could possibly buy you precious time needed to escape.

While there is not a whole lot of preparation you can do, there is some! Avoiding panic is perhaps the most important.