Of the four earthquakes of magnitude 3.5 or greater that occur in Mexico on a daily basis, more than 80% occur in Michoacan, Guerrero and Oaxaca. This concentration is not fortuitous: along the Pacific coast five tectonic plates converge, whose interaction and collapse of one over the other cause earthquakes that put more than 33 million people at risk in national territory, according to the National Center Disaster Prevention (Cenapred).
After the earthquake of September 19, 1985, the deadliest in the country’s history (more than 3,000 fatalities according to official figures, which skyrocketed to 10,000 according to the counts of civil organizations), the Government of the capital financed the start-up of a group of twelve seismic sensors on the Guerrero gap with the aim of alerting Mexico City, the most exposed to shocks due to the lacustrine soil on which it rises and its high population density, prior to the arrival of large earthquakes. Since then, the Mexican Seismic Alert System (Sasmex) has grown to reach 97 sensors distributed along the Pacific coast. Currently, the network offers public alerts in Michoacan, Guerrero, Oaxaca, Morelos, Mexico City, the State of Mexico and Puebla,
When is the first drill of 2023?
The first national drill of the year will take place on Wednesday, April 19, according to the National Civil Protection Coordination (CNPC). Although the Pacific coast concentrates the greatest seismic activity in Mexico, the hypothesis for the simulation assumes a magnitude 7.5 earthquake located between the limits of Puebla and Veracruz, 30 kilometers southwest of the municipality of Tierra Blanca. It is an intraplate earthquake, a class of deep and rare earthquakes that occur inland, within the same oceanic plate, such as those of September 7 and 19, 2017.
What time is the seismic alert activated?
Registration and proof of participation
Although everyone can participate in the drill, the CNPC calls to register the different properties to obtain a certificate of participation. Just go to the site preparados.gob.mx, select the entity and fill out the form. Although the official hypothesis is based on an earthquake, Civil Protection proposes adjusting the scenario in seismic areas of the country, so that the drill is effective at the national level.