Politicians call on residents to calm down and cooperate following earthquakes
Since December, the IGN (Spanish Geographical Institute) has recorded a series of earthquakes around the city of Granada. Last Saturday night marked the beginning of a new series of earthquakes and aftershocks.
Following Saturday’s earthquakes, the IGN reported a new wave of tremors. Late Tuesday (January 26th) night, the institute recorded more than 40 quakes. They were felt throughout the province, some reaching 4.3 on the Richter scale. Like the previous weekend, the towns of Santa Fe, Atarfe, Chauchina, Cúllar-Vega and the city of Granada were affected.
Quakes see residents leave homes depsite curfew
Around 10.30pmon Monday, the first tremor occurred followed by about 10 more shocks with different epicentres. Despite the curfew, people took to the streets in droves in fear of aftershocks. The number of reports to ING’s warning service was unprecedentedly high.
No personal injuries to date
Police in Granada city reported that there is no evidence of personal or property damage. There is much concern on Twitter about the Alhambra; for now it has remained intact.
In Santa Fe, part of the facade of a vacant house in the historic centre collapsed, forcing the neighbours to leave their homes. The police in Íllora reported that the earthquake, which was also felt in the provinces of Cordoba, Malaga and Jaen, caused large cracks in two streets in the municipality.
Stay calm
President Pedro Sánchez has sent a message asking people to ‘remain calm and follow the instructions of the emergency services’.
Regional president of Andalusia, Juanma Moreno, tweeted before Sánchez’s message: ‘The tremors are not stopping’ and ‘some of them have even been felt in Malaga and we are waiting to see how this develops’.
The mayor of Granada, Luis Salvador (Ciudadanos), also sent a ‘message of confidence and calm’. Despite these being difficult days for the people of Granada, he called for them to remain calm and follow the official channels. He also asked for maximum cooperation from residents, requesting they stay in their homes because of the risk of landslides. He went on to say that despite the panic, seismology experts believe that these series of earthquakes fall within the ‘normal range’. Furthermore, the agencies that prepare for these types of quakes are working in a coordinated manner.
Earthquakes scaling up
The IGN has observed 200 aftershocks up to Tuesday as a result of Saturday’s 4.4 earthquake. The quake’s epicentre was in Santa Fe (Granada) and three of the aftershocks that followed had a magnitude of 3.3 on the Richter scale. As a result, a ‘preemergencia’ has been declared; a scaling up in the emergency plan for seismic risks. This pre-alarm phase involves instrumental surveillance and further investigation of this natural phenomenon. Information campaigns for agencies, authorities and the population are also underway.
