Anatomy of an Earthquake

There are on average 2000 earthquakes a year of a magnitude 5 to 6 on the Richter scale; Only the ones that claim human life and devastate receive a high media coverage… The earthquake occurred in Kyrgyzstan… Who knows were this place is?…I didn’t, What happens after the quake? Here we take a close up view of the real events after the fact…Who suffers?,..Who helps?…Who cares? RHS1 zooms in on this average earthquake for a closer look.

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ORIGINAL POST: Tuesday December 26, 2006

Earthquake measuring 5.5 strikes northern Kyrgyzstan

Tuesday December 26, 2006

BISHKEK, Kyrgyzstan (AP) – A magnitude 5.5 earthquake struck northern Kyrgyzstan on Tuesday, causing cracks in buildings but no casualties, the state Seismology Institute said.

Geographical location: Kyrgyzstan.

The earthquake with a magnitude of 5.7 degrees on the Richter scale occurred in Kyrgyzstan on 26 December 2006 at 0200 local time. The epicentre was located in the Teskey Alatau ridge close to the border of Issyk-Kul and Naryn provinces and 140 km east from the capital city of Bishkek. Tremors were also felt in Almaty in neighbouring Kazakhstan, with a magnitude of around 3.5-4 degrees on the Richter scale but there has been no damage registered.

Geographical location: Kyrgyzstan Earthquake.

Based on early assessments of the Ministry of Emergency Situations (MoE), local administrative bodies and Red Crescent provincial branch 5,910 people have been affected by the earthquake; there have been no casualties. The government indicated mainly damage to housing, electricity lines and communications. Most of the people left homeless have been accommodated with their relatives.

The situation on the emergency site is worsened by harsh winter conditions with low temperatures and heavy snow falls that captured the country during the first days of the new year.

The UN assessment team visited Kochkor rayon on 29-30 December. Based on the findings the UN plans to provide construction materials worth of USD 10,000 to repair five obstetric centres and two school buildings with moderate and/or average damage in Kochkor, Akkyia, Kumdebe, Semizbel and Sarybulak localities. This will be arranged through the UNDP; construction materials will be procured and supplied to the sites and contraction work will be arranged by the MoE.

On 28 December Kyrgyzstan Red Crescent distributed blankets, bedding, kitchen utensils and hygiene means to 60 affected families of Isakeevo village.

Later, an amount of CHF 100,000 was released from Federations DREF on request from the Kyrgyzstan Red Crescent to render assistance to the 4 most affected families in villages of Kochkor rayon. The humanitarian aid will include relief items (blankets, mattresses, bedding, hygiene kits, kitchen sets) and food parcels (rice, sugar, flour, oil).

The National Society procured the first lot of 220 parcels planned for distribution in Semizbel locality on 30 December 2006 and transported them to the site. However, the distribution has been postponed until 4 January 2007 due to tensions among affected population related to aid operations. In the affected region 86 per cent of the local population had been living below the poverty line before the disaster struck. Now people are frightened by the earthquake; the loss of houses and scarce belongings made them even more vulnerable and desperate. By 4 January remaining 180 food parcels will be supplied so that the Red Crescent Society can cover all 400 families included in the beneficiary lists at once. Also, in order to release tensions, the National Society is considering distributing relief non-food items not to the same — as the initial plan was — but to other 400 families thus increasing the coverage to 800. These items will be procured by Red Crescent in the near future and their distribution is scheduled for next week.

The National Society plans to carry out another assessment on 4 January to specify further needs for an Emergency Appeal, looking for possibilities to expand the coverage.

The Red Crescent is coordinating its response operation with the local response headquarters set up in Kochkor rayon. Kyrgyzstan National Society is also a member of the interagency commission that was established to monitor the situation developments on the disaster site.

At 2 a.m. local time on 26 Dec 2006, an earthquake struck Kochkor area, Naryn region, some 140 km south-east of Bishkek. The earthquake was also felt in neighboring Kazakhstan.

Specified information on damaged houses as of 31 December is as follows:

No……Category…… Quantity
1 Totally destroyed… 20
2 Severely damaged… 1,312
3 Average damage… 2,392
4 Moderately damaged… 3,159
……………………………Total 6,883

Information from Kazakhstan courtesy of Disaster Relief Emergency Fund

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UPDATE ON THIS STORY

Emergency declared in Kyrgyzstan after strong earthquake

09.01.2007, 08.16

BISHKEK, January 9 (Itar-Tass) –

An earthquake with a magnitude six points on the Richter scale occurred in the Batken district of Kyrgyzstan overnight, the republic’s Ministry of Ecology and Emergency Situations told Itar-Tass on Tuesday. The quake epicentre was located 90 kilometres southwest of the Batken regional centre in the Turkestan range area.

According to preliminary reports, there have been no casualties and destruction in the calamity area. Emergency ministry’s special response groups have been dispatched to the quake site in order to assess the aftermath of the earth tremors.