In light of the current seismic activity in eastern Cuba, the Red Cross in Santiago de Cuba instructed children on Tuesday on how to protect themselves in the event of a major earthquake, promoting awareness and a culture of disaster prevention.
Aris Arias Batalla, head of Operations and Relief for the Red Cross in Santiago de Cuba, shared a video on Facebook of a practical exercise conducted at the Seminternado Hermanos Marañón, in the Vista Hermosa Popular Council, where children were taught how to respond to a major earthquake.
Arias pointed out that the objective of the exercise was to "talk with pioneers, teachers, and provide recommendations to protect the health and physical well-being of our pioneers and the community in general."
In another post, the representative of the Red Cross stated that during the practical exercise, "the response and management in the face of a perceptible high-magnitude earthquake was verified."
Arias emphasized the importance of taking precautions during the earthquake and, once the shaking has stopped, conducting an immediate, safe, and organized evacuation to cleared areas that do not pose a threat to children and workers.
Additionally, a group discussion was held with those present to reinforce knowledge on what to do before, during, and after these sudden natural phenomena, emphasizing that preserving historical memory is essential to mitigate the impact of these events.
Although such measures may concern the families of children, it is essential for the little ones to be aware of them, as they live in a city with high seismic activity and the school year has restarted.
Additionally, this is not the first time measures of this kind have been implemented in the province of Santiago de Cuba, which has prior experience in such situations.
Nevertheless, specialists from the National Center for Seismic Research have emphasized that, although 1,943 aftershocks have been recorded from Sunday until 2:00 p.m. this Tuesday, it is impossible to predict a major event in the short or medium term.
Dr. Enrique Diego Arango Arias, head of the National Seismological Service at CENAIS, denied on Facebook this Tuesday the false alert that had circulated among the public regarding a supposed occurrence of a major earthquake. Dr. Arango described those who spread this information as irresponsible.
"Today, irresponsible individuals have been claiming that a strong earthquake will occur in this city in the coming hours, creating panic in schools, workplaces, buildings, and other public places," Arango noted, emphasizing the importance of not succumbing to unfounded rumors that only generate unnecessary fear among the population.
The seismologist insisted that this information is completely false because "earthquakes cannot be predicted in the short or medium term."
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