WASHINGTON- The United States Tsunami Warning System issued an alert this Wednesday for Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands after a magnitude 7.5 earthquake registered off the coast of Venezuela.
The warning was activated at 6:40 pm local time, after seismological organizations confirmed the magnitude of the event. Initially, the telluric movement had been reported as a magnitude 7.2 earthquake, but it was later reclassified after the analysis of seismic records.
A “seismic doublet” off the Venezuelan coast
The United States National Tsunami Warning Center reported that the two recorded movements formed a “seismic doublet,” a phenomenon that occurs when two large-magnitude earthquakes occur a few seconds apart in the same geographic area.
According to the official update, the magnitude 7.5 earthquake was identified as the main event. The epicenter was located about 300 kilometers east of Caracas, near the municipality of Montalbán, in the state of Carabobo, while the depth was estimated at 13.2 kilometers, which is why it was classified as a superficial earthquake by the United States Geological Survey (USGS).
The earthquake was perceived in several regions of Venezuela and generated reports of preventive evacuations and infrastructure reviews in different cities of the country.
The total structural damage is unknown and so far there are no reports of fatalities.
Puerto Rico activates preventive measures
After the alert was issued, the governor of Puerto Rico, Jenniffer González, asked the population for calm and called on them to follow the recommendations of the authorities.
“I want to give people peace of mind,” said the president in a video broadcast on social networks, where she explained that the main risk associated with the earthquake was the generation of strong sea currents on the Puerto Rican coast, especially in the southern part of the island.
González urged residents and visitors to stay away from the sea while the alert remained in effect. “All those bathers who are on our coasts, get out of the water,” he said.
Authorities monitor possible impact in the Caribbean
For its part, the National Meteorological Service in San Juan recommended that the population stay away from beaches, ports and marinas until further notice, while authorities continued to evaluate the evolution of the phenomenon.
The earthquake recalled the 7.3 magnitude earthquake recorded in Venezuela in August 2018, with its epicenter in the state of Sucre, which was felt in several countries in South America and the Caribbean. As of press time, US authorities were monitoring maritime conditions in Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands.
