Hundreds of people in Puerto Vallarta participated in the first national earthquake drill of 2021, which was postponed from May 19 to June 21 due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Although the final data on participation in the city is not yet available, the Civil Protection Commander, Adrián Elíseo Bobadilla García, reported that in the government buildings in the historic center, around 200 people participated, “but there are reports that several hotels and offices also carried out their earthquake drill,” he explained.
The exercise began at 11:30 a.m. and in the downtown area of the city, the municipal presidency building, where 230 people were present, was evacuated in 3 minutes and 11 seconds.
Similar exercises were carried out throughout the city, where the tourism sector participated with their internal civil protection brigades, as well as the commercial areas of the city and schools, including the University Center of the Coast of the University from Guadalajara.
The drill was practiced under the scenario of an 8.1 earthquake, with a depth of 25 km, with an epicenter to the west of Chamela, municipality of La Huerta. As a result of scenerio, there would be significant effects in the coastal municipalities of La Huerta, Tomatlán, Cihuatlán, Cabo Corrientes, and Puerto Vallarta, in addition to effects in the Guadalajara Metropolitan Area in the Central Region, and the Altos Sur, Ciénega, Valles, Laguna, and Sierra de Amula, and moderate effects in the rest of the regions of the state.
The coastal area of Jalisco was affected by three important seismic events in June 1932, with magnitudes of 8.1 on June 3, 7.9 on June 18 and June 22 with 6.9, in addition to 22 aftershocks, which is why it’s important to carry out these types of drills in order to be prepared in the event that another one occurs again, which is likely, as the area is part of the Ring of Fire.
