Cuba Takes Earthquake Precautions

HAVANA TIMES, April 8 — Cuban authorities are distributing more than 50,000 copies of the tabloid “What to do in case of an earthquake” in the city of Santiago de Cuba.  The goal is to “reduce vulnerabilities and correct the conduct of the population in case of a major earthquake,” Bladimir Moreno, director of the National Seismology Research Center told IPS.

Unlike Havana and the western provinces, eastern Cuba, and especially Santiago de Cuba, is known as a zone where earth tremors are not infrequent.

On March 20th a 5.5 Richter scale quake was felt mainly in Guantanamo and Santiago provinces.  With the major January 12^th Haiti earthquake fresh in mind and the proximity to Eastern Cuba, the authorities have stepped up civil defense preparations.