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Modern seismic station installed in Santiago de Cuba

equipo sismoThe first of five modern seismic stations, located in the municipality of Guamá, Santiago de Cuba province, is now ready to be connected to the national network, Enrique Arango, deputy director of the National Center for Seismological Research (CENAIS), reported.

He explained that the modern installation, powered by renewable energy sources, will transmit information regarding tremors in real time, thus contributing to early warning of the occurrence of these unpredictable natural phenomena.

Likewise, further stations are being installed in Boniato, Santiago province, in Yarey and Pilón, in the province of Granma, and in Imías, in Guantánamo, which will contribute to strengthening the early warning system in south-eastern Cuba.

This region is the most seismically active in Cuba, with historical records of earthquakes of high magnitudes and intensities, given its proximity to the Oriente Fault, the main earthquake-generating zone of the country, which borders the North American and Caribbean Plates, the expert concluded.

The actions are part of the “Prepared and Alert Cities” project, developed by CENAIS, with financing from the EU Humanitarian Aid and Civil Protection Department (ECHO), and the partnership of the non-governmental organizations CARE France, OXFAM in Belgium and Handicap International.

Alina Junco, representative of CARE France on the island, said the project, running until October 2016, will see the installation of 30 accelerometers in the city of Santiago de Cuba and 10 in Guantánamo, providing more accurate and immediate measurements of earthquakes, particularly the strongest.

It also includes technical preparation to reduce vulnerabilities in buildings and the development of workshops and interventions in 42 communities in Guantánamo and Santiago de Cuba, with specific training to assist disabled people, she noted.

CENAIS staff are highly qualified to monitor and investigate seismic activity in Cuba and the center has a network of 13 stations throughout the country, three of which will provide data on tremors in real time via the internet to global networks from this year onward.

(Granma)

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