170 tremors hit town, An astonishing 170 tremors hit Navidad, Chile over the past five weeks, according to a Dec. 13 Associated Press report via Yahoo News.
The 170 earthquakes may have been aftershocks of a massive 8.8 magnitude quake the region experienced in 2010, or they may be warning signs of another large earthquake looming in the near future.
It is incredibly bizarre that Navidad, Chile, which means Christmas, has been hit with 170 tremors just as they prepare for the major December holiday. In fact, people in the town have taken special care with their favorite ornaments, so that the earthquakes will not break them if they are minor.
Acting Mayor Rodrigo Soto said,
"We were born, grew up and were raised with earthquakes. It seems like the world for the first time has discovered Navidad. Everyone asks us if we're scared and all we can say is that we need to be prepared."
Even so, the town hardly seems prepared when it lacks a proper tsunami warning system. What they have now is not loud enough to reach everybody, and there are only 5,500 residents in Navidad, so it seems that they could use a better warning system.
The people tend to role with the shakes even though some of the stronger ones do cause a bit of panic. The strongest of these recent 170 shakes was 5.9 magnitude, and that is plenty strong to feel.
Resident, Valentina Villagran, 11, said,
"I keep canned goods, a flashlight and batteries, because we're scared about these daily quakes. Every kid here knows they should run for the hills."
Each family has a preparedness kit, which is good because unfortunately, it is probably just a matter of time before another massive earthquake hits the area. Hopefully it will be many years or decades, but Navidad is the world's shakiest town, and the big one may well come sooner rather than later.
The 170 earthquakes may have been aftershocks of a massive 8.8 magnitude quake the region experienced in 2010, or they may be warning signs of another large earthquake looming in the near future.
It is incredibly bizarre that Navidad, Chile, which means Christmas, has been hit with 170 tremors just as they prepare for the major December holiday. In fact, people in the town have taken special care with their favorite ornaments, so that the earthquakes will not break them if they are minor.
Acting Mayor Rodrigo Soto said,
"We were born, grew up and were raised with earthquakes. It seems like the world for the first time has discovered Navidad. Everyone asks us if we're scared and all we can say is that we need to be prepared."
Even so, the town hardly seems prepared when it lacks a proper tsunami warning system. What they have now is not loud enough to reach everybody, and there are only 5,500 residents in Navidad, so it seems that they could use a better warning system.
The people tend to role with the shakes even though some of the stronger ones do cause a bit of panic. The strongest of these recent 170 shakes was 5.9 magnitude, and that is plenty strong to feel.
Resident, Valentina Villagran, 11, said,
"I keep canned goods, a flashlight and batteries, because we're scared about these daily quakes. Every kid here knows they should run for the hills."
Each family has a preparedness kit, which is good because unfortunately, it is probably just a matter of time before another massive earthquake hits the area. Hopefully it will be many years or decades, but Navidad is the world's shakiest town, and the big one may well come sooner rather than later.
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