Dr. Enrique Diego Arango Arias, head of the National Seismological Service of Cuba at the National Center for Seismological Research (CENAIS), responded on Monday to the statements made by American geologist Grenville Draper regarding the recent seismic events recorded on Sunday southeast of Pilón, in the province of Granma.
Draper, a researcher at Florida International University (FIU), made several statements to Telemundo 51 in which he asserted that “there is a main earthquake followed by smaller tremors. So others may follow. I would advise residents to try to avoid being in buildings that could be damaged by the first major quake.”
He also said: "There may be small tremors. Generally, the pattern is that there are smaller aftershocks. Occasionally, there can be larger aftershocks, but that is not very common."
Additionally, the geologist from FIU recommended staying vigilant during the first 48 hours and urged not to remain in tall buildings, let alone sleep in them, as they may have sustained damage.
These statements prompted Dr. C. Arango, who has decades of study and dedication to seismology in Cuba, to make some clarifications.
"Never is an aftershock greater than a main earthquake. It is incorrect to say this. The 6.0 magnitude earthquake was a precursor to the subsequently recorded 6.7 earthquake," Arango noted.
On the other hand, the head of the National Seismological Service of Cuba stated that CENAIS has "a team of specialists from various fields, such as civil engineers, geologists, seismologists, etc., with enough knowledge to handle this situation," suggesting that recommendations for managing the current seismic crisis would be more effective if made by Cuban specialists.
Dr. Arango consistently informs the public about seismic activity in the country through social media, becoming an essential source of consultation during periods of high tectonic activity.
This Monday, for example, the specialist warned on Facebook that "the aftershocks continue in the area located southeast of the town of Pilón, in the province of Granma. The rest of the country, including the southeastern region near the Oriente fault, remains calm at this time."
Furthermore, he emphasized that "it is not possible to predict seismic behavior in the short term."
In this regard, he emphasized that the population must adhere to the measures established by Civil Defense in the event of moderate to strong earthquakes in the eastern region of Cuba.
Arango's recommendations are also taken into account by the government, which is why, in response to the seismic situation in eastern Cuba, where 885 earthquakes have been recorded in less than 24 hours, the provincial authorities are considering setting up a field hospital as a measure to address the crisis.
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