Mexican Earthquake Rocks Belize
At about one-fifty this afternoon, the tremors of an earthquake were felt in many parts of Belize and Guatemala. The earthquake rumbled in Tonala, Chiapas, in southern Mexico and registered at a six point six on the Richter scale. Twenty-two point one million persons may have felt the earthquake, including over two hundred thousand who observed moderate shaking. There are no known casualties in Mexico and in Belize; the greatest hit was on social media where persons wrote of their experience. Forecaster Francisca Wellington of the National Met Service told News Five that the epicenter of the earthquake was three hundred and twenty miles from Belize.
Francisca Wellington, Forecaster, Nat’l Met Service
“Actually I was on my way to work cause I didn’t feel, but as soon as I came to work, everybody rushed me and asked if I felt the earthquake. We have a program here at the met service that as soon as there is an earthquake takes place, it’s registered; it just pops up on our screen and it’s able to tell us the exact location the magnitude and how far from Belize. This earthquake happened around one-fifty this afternoon and it took place in southern Mexico, Tonala. It was six point sis magnitude and it occurred about three hundred and twenty miles away from Belize City. If it is close enough, it can cause concrete buildings to crack; it can cause those weak wooden buildings to collapse, if it is close enough to Belize and strong enough. People will feel swaying and sometimes it can be very intimidating to feel thins, frightening too.”
Francisca Wellington
Duane Moody
“What are the chances—we know that Belize really doesn’t have earthquakes, but what are the chances of that ever happening here?”
Francisca Wellington
“There’s a low chance, but what we feel are the tremors from the epicenter close to us: Guatemala, Mexico, Honduras and in the Caribbean as well. So we wouldn’t feel the direct impact of an earthquake, but we will feel the tremors. And as I mentioned before, if the epicenter is close enough to Belize, it will feel very strong and intimidating and frightening.”
