You have lived here in the DR in the same general area for years.
It's early Sunday morning July 17th. You are fast asleep. At appropriately 03:00 a 6.9 magnitude earthquake lets loose on the Cibao fault centred near La Colorada. The big shake lasts for 90 seconds and after shocks are occurring about once every 5 minutes with varying degrees of intensity. The earthquake is felt along the entire north coast from the Haitian border to Panta Cana and as far south as the outskirts of Santo Domingo. Damage along the north coast is extensive to structures, infrastructure and the natural landscape. There is lots of dust in the air from collapsing concrete. There is no electricity, flowing water from the tap, no light except for some sporadic fires and the occasional explosion of a propane tank off in the distance. You can hear people wailing in every direction.
Highway 5 is a mess. Many sections have collapsed leaving gaping holes. In other spots, trees, electric poles, rocks and mud cover the road surface. You cannot drive more than a few miles in any direction from where you are. Puerto Plata airport is closed as the runways now have 1 foot wide cracks in them.
You and your family appear to be ok. There is some damage to your house, there is lots of broken glass on the floor, most of your furniture is not where it was when you went to bed. Bookcases have fallen over, your pictures have fallen off the wall, most of your kitchen cabinets are now empty, the contents are all over the place.
The after shocks continue. It is now 06:00 and the sun has just come up. Big crack in your concrete pool, all the water has drained away. There are holes in your roof, some walls are damaged to varying degrees, but the structure is still standing for the most part. Some of your neighbors have not fared so well. You can see some houses that have been reduced to pile of rubble. You know people were home in there last night. The smell of propane is in the air. Every footstep kicks up a cloud of concrete dust that has begun settling on the surface of everything. You cough a lot...
Yes it is a disaster, yes it is bad and yes you are right in the middle of it all. This is the Dominican Republic. Help being what it may, is a few days off. The roads have to be cleared first. You are going to be on your own for awhile. What are you going to do? What can you do? What have you done to prepare for such a scenario? How are you going to handle to locals who now have unfettered access to your neighborhood and who in some cases are already asking for your assistance, while others are gathering up everything they can find? To make matters worse, on the horizon you can see rain clouds...
In any extreme situation you probably cannot survive for more than:
3 minutes without air
3 hours without shelter
3 days without water
3 weeks without food.
My fellow Residents, please feel free to discuss.
It's early Sunday morning July 17th. You are fast asleep. At appropriately 03:00 a 6.9 magnitude earthquake lets loose on the Cibao fault centred near La Colorada. The big shake lasts for 90 seconds and after shocks are occurring about once every 5 minutes with varying degrees of intensity. The earthquake is felt along the entire north coast from the Haitian border to Panta Cana and as far south as the outskirts of Santo Domingo. Damage along the north coast is extensive to structures, infrastructure and the natural landscape. There is lots of dust in the air from collapsing concrete. There is no electricity, flowing water from the tap, no light except for some sporadic fires and the occasional explosion of a propane tank off in the distance. You can hear people wailing in every direction.
Highway 5 is a mess. Many sections have collapsed leaving gaping holes. In other spots, trees, electric poles, rocks and mud cover the road surface. You cannot drive more than a few miles in any direction from where you are. Puerto Plata airport is closed as the runways now have 1 foot wide cracks in them.
You and your family appear to be ok. There is some damage to your house, there is lots of broken glass on the floor, most of your furniture is not where it was when you went to bed. Bookcases have fallen over, your pictures have fallen off the wall, most of your kitchen cabinets are now empty, the contents are all over the place.
The after shocks continue. It is now 06:00 and the sun has just come up. Big crack in your concrete pool, all the water has drained away. There are holes in your roof, some walls are damaged to varying degrees, but the structure is still standing for the most part. Some of your neighbors have not fared so well. You can see some houses that have been reduced to pile of rubble. You know people were home in there last night. The smell of propane is in the air. Every footstep kicks up a cloud of concrete dust that has begun settling on the surface of everything. You cough a lot...
Yes it is a disaster, yes it is bad and yes you are right in the middle of it all. This is the Dominican Republic. Help being what it may, is a few days off. The roads have to be cleared first. You are going to be on your own for awhile. What are you going to do? What can you do? What have you done to prepare for such a scenario? How are you going to handle to locals who now have unfettered access to your neighborhood and who in some cases are already asking for your assistance, while others are gathering up everything they can find? To make matters worse, on the horizon you can see rain clouds...
In any extreme situation you probably cannot survive for more than:
3 minutes without air
3 hours without shelter
3 days without water
3 weeks without food.
My fellow Residents, please feel free to discuss.
