President Andrés Manuel López Obrador raised this Thursday September 19th flag at half-mastin the capital’s Zócalo, in honor of the victims of the earthquakes recorded in 1985 and 2017, which left thousands dead.
The president was accompanied by the president-elect Claudia Sheinbaum Pardowho will take office on October 1; General Luis Cresensio Sandoval, head of the National Defense Secretariat; Admiral José Rafael Ojeda Durán, of the National Defense Secretariat; Marineand the Secretary of the Interior, Luisa María Alcalde.
Also present were the Secretary of Citizen Security, Rosa Icela Rodríguez; the head of the National Coordination of Civil defenseLaura Velázquez Alzúa, and the head of the Government of Mexico City, Martí Batres, as well as the national president of the Mexican Red Cross.
While López Obrador pressed the button for the Raising the national flagthe band and choir of the National Defense Secretariat performed Song to the Flag.
Mexico, a country with high seismic activity
Mexico, located in one of the most seismically active areas in the world, registers earthquakes every day. Most of these earthquakes are imperceptible to the population, but on average every three years, an event of considerable magnitude occurs.
The country’s high seismicity is concentrated mainly along the Pacific coast, in regions ranging from southern Baja California to Chiapas, due to the interaction of tectonic plates.
Despite constant monitoring of seismic activity, no method, technology or scientific study has proven capable of accurately predicting an earthquake.
Currently, neither the location, magnitude nor the exact timing of a future earthquake can be anticipated, unlike phenomena such as hurricanes or volcanic eruptions, which can be predicted with greater certainty thanks to prior studies and specialized monitoring.
The great earthquakes that marked Mexico: 1985, 2017 and 2022
September 19 is a date that resonates in the collective memory of Mexicans, as significant earthquakes have been recorded on three occasions in the country’s recent history.
1985 Earthquake: The event that changed Mexico City
On September 19, 1985, at 7:17 a.m., an 8.1 magnitude earthquake struck the coast of Michoacán. The tremor was strongly felt in central, southern, and western Mexico, causing massive destruction in Mexico City and Ciudad Guzmán, Jalisco. The event left an official death toll of 6,000, although some unofficial estimates put the number at more than 10,000.
The impact of the earthquake was devastating: more than 30,000 people were injured, 150,000 people were homeless and around 30,000 homes were destroyed. The economic cost was estimated at 4.1 billion dollars.
The tragedy led to a profound transformation of civil protection policies in the country, including the creation of the National Civil Protection System and the modernization of emergency response protocols.
2017 earthquake: Puebla and Morelos at the epicenter
On September 19, 2017, 32 years after the devastating 1985 earthquake, another earthquake, this time of magnitude 7.1, struck central Mexico. The epicenter was located on the borders of Puebla and Morelos, but the most severe effects were felt in Mexico City. This earthquake occurred just hours after the annual drill commemorating the 1985 earthquake.
The human and material toll was significant: 369 people lost their lives, with the country’s capital being the most affected with 228 deaths. In addition, the states of Morelos and Puebla reported 74 and 45 deaths, respectively. Economic losses were estimated at 62,099 million pesos, and once again, Mexico demonstrated its resilience in the face of catastrophes.
2022 Earthquake: Michoacán is once again the protagonist
On September 19, 2022, a new earthquake of magnitude 7.7 was recorded off the coast of Michoacán, specifically 63 km south of Coalcomán. The earthquake was strongly felt in Colima, Michoacán, Mexico City, and Guerrero, causing considerable damage to infrastructure and mainly affecting Colima and Michoacán. Over the 24 hours following the event, more than 870 aftershocks were recorded, the strongest being magnitude 5.8.
Mexico’s high seismicity is a consequence of the interaction of several tectonic plates: the Cocos plate, the North American plate, the Caribbean plate and the Pacific plate. This geological context places Mexico in a position of permanent risk in the face of large-scale seismic events.
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