Eleven injuries and hundreds of damaged homes make up the toll of the powerful earthquake that rocked Mexico during lunch time yesterday. The final magnitude reading of the earthquake by seismologists in Mexico was 7.8 Richter. The epicenter was near Ometepec, a region that lacks major urban centers.

Unfortunately, the homes affected by the earthquake are mostly located in low-income areas. The government has deployed civil authorities to the affected areas to bring relief and assess the situation.

The fact that no casualties or major damage were reported is a testament to the lessons learned by Mexican authorities in the wake of the devastating earthquake that claimed the lives of 9,000 people back in 1985. That earthquake was measured at a magnitude 8.1. A seismologist and physicist from the National Seismologic Service explained to Televisa that, while this quake did not carry as much seismic energy as the one in 1985, there has been a complete overhaul of the seismic construction code since.

The Mayor of Mexico City -one of the most populous cities on Earth- explained to Bloomberg news that his city’s skyscrapers were shook up by the earthquake yesterday, but the strict seismic construction code these days prevented major damage from happening.

Orderly Evacuations

Emergency management officials in megacities such as the Distrito Federal de Mexico have been encouraging the practice of disaster drills in the last couple of decades. That practice has paid off, as evidenced by the orderly evacuations that took place all over the city. Thousands of workers were seen evacuating their workplaces and mustering at designated spots while team leaders gathered emergency supplies.

In Costa Rica, the National Committee on Prevention of Risk and Emergency Management (Spanish acronym: CNE) has been adopting measures similar to those in Mexico to implement in Tico workplaces.

Sources: Televisa and Bloomberg