Earthquake aftershocks & aftermath...

Let them roll, then get to work

Dealing with the recent devastation in Cuba

Sometimes you need to let your eyes leak. You need to let the tears roll down your cheeks like rain on a windowpane. It’s a way of cleansing and letting go. And then, once you’ve had a good cry, you can get to work.
 
Cuba has been breaking my heart for years, one little piece at a time. The decent, hard-working people there deserve more than they’ve been getting; they deserve a chance to flourish. They’ve endured – and are enduring – so much.
 
My heart, especially, resides with the people of the Granma province, the island’s southern soul. The latest, greatest difficulty they’ve faced is a series of earthquakes that ripped through the region on Nov. 8, just two days after I returned from my most recent trip to that beloved nook. The two largest of the quakes measured 6.0 and 6.8 on the Richter scale, which are classified as “strong” in magnitude (the range is 6.0-6.9). To put it into perspective, there are typically only 100-150 “strong” earthquakes globally each year. Thankfully, the duration was brief – about 7 seconds for the strongest one. Since then, however, aftershocks have continued to echo through the earth, causing both buildings and people to shiver.
 
The district suffered quakes in the past but, this time, the repeated shaking was simply too much for some structures. At least one apartment building and a school in Pilón have been condemned, numerous houses collapsed and others are unsafe for occupation. In the village of Marea del Portillo, quite a few houses are now uninhabitable and other buildings are still being assessed. I think it’s safe to assume that any community in this mountainous area has sustained damage. Many homes have new cracks in the walls, new leaks in the roof and doors or windows that no longer function properly.
 
Large military-style tents have been set up in Pilón, mainly for the families that can no longer live in their apartments. Naturally, a lot of folks are bunking in with friends or relatives as a temporary measure. Government officials have visited the area to make their typical promises. I don’t believe a timeline has been set for anything. I want to believe things will happen soon. I want to envision bags of cement, rebar and concrete blocks being shipped to the area, even as I type. I want to hope help will come – more than just a few sagging tents.
 
How are the people coping? They are dancing in the streets! No, I’m not kidding or making a bad joke. Some of them are, quite literally, singing and dancing… and putting on clown costumes and telling stories and reading poetry. That’s their job, in fact. Part of the Cuban crisis management protocol, it seems, is to entertain and distract those afflicted by catastrophe, particularly the children. “Distractertainment” (I made up that word; feel free to borrow it!) is a powerful and highly effective tool that is easily misused but, in this case, I think it’s helpful, especially for the little ones who are quite understandably fearful.
 
Once everyone’s had a bit of fun, however, it will be time to get to work. Clean-up efforts have already begun, of course, as have informal, hands-on support efforts. One Canadian man is there now, doing what he can to provide food and supplies for homeless families. Known to some as “Budgie,” he's a long-time visitor to the area. He likes to migrate there for the winter, so he was already ensconced in Marea del Portillo when the earthquakes struck. His response? He went shopping! Then, he went shopping again, and again, and again. He started taking people to the nearest store and letting them pick out the food and other supplies they needed.
 
Other Canadians wanted to help their Cuban friends, so Budgie offered to be the conduit. He invited people to send e-transfers, which he can access in Cuba and use at the local government-run MLC stores, where plastic money is required. He asked me to post a note on Facebook, which I did. He doesn’t know I’ll be sending out an email about it too! I hope he’s not overwhelmed.
 
Helping people can be challenging, I’ve learned; triage is the most difficult part. But, I’m planning on returning to that fray in early December. I hope to be able to transport things from Canada that are hard to get in Cuba, as I did in October. On that trip, my focus was health and medical supplies. This time, although I will take more acetaminophen and such vital items, I also want to take food, particularly things that don’t need refrigeration and aren’t too heavy.
 
Since the Marea del Portillo hotel will not be open until mid December, I needed to sort out transportation and accommodation details, which I have been able to do with the help of some good friends in Pilón. The next steps will be buying supplies and packing!  
 
How can you help? You can support either Keith “Budgie” Davidson’s now-in-the-country aid efforts or my own going-there-soon activities. We both accept e-transfers; any help is appreciated and will be used appropriately. You can contact either of us via Facebook or email.
 
• For e-transfers to Keith, use papabudgie58@gmail.com. He will be in Cuba until mid February.
 
• To support me, use jennicacuba@gmail.com. [American friends can send checks, if the Canadian postal strike is over, or use PayPal – but please identify it as a “GIFT” for my trip, not a “donation” for Cuba, which seems to wave silly red flags.] My deadline is Dec. 1.
 
FYI – the photo at the top of this page was taken in 2009, on the morning following a very miniscule earthquake that occurred when I was staying at the Marea del Portillo resort. One of my friends from Santiago de Cuba, where they are quite familiar with quakes, called it a simple “coffee stirrer.” It was so small that most of the people at the resort slept right through it! But, my pal Wendy Oke and I were sleeping lightly, so we both woke up and, once we ascertained that the world was not ending, went for a walk on the beach. I took numerous shots of the sunrise as we talked about how I could help the local community. Well, here I am, following through on a personal vow….

XO ~ Jenny

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Post Script: 

REGARDING AFTERSHOCKS... I've been hearing about the aftershocks that have been continuing in earthquake-ravaged Granma, Cuba. I couldn't help but wonder: Is it normal to have so many? Apparently so, unfortunately. 

 

Without sliding too deeply down the rabbit hole of seismology, I found some interesting information. While there is no way to know exactly how many aftershocks there will be or when they will finally stop, they will gradually decrease and diminish in strength. 

 

There are mathematical equations and laws about the projected pattern, but nothing is definitive. Mother Earth is doing her own private dance and she's not about to let scientists peek up her skirt!

 

Here's some of what I found about aftershocks:

The number of aftershocks that occur after a significant earthquake can vary widely depending on several factors, including the magnitude of the main quake, the geological conditions of the area, and the depth of the earthquake.

 

On average, a large earthquake (magnitude 6.0 or higher) can produce dozens to hundreds of aftershocks, while smaller quakes might have fewer aftershocks...

In general:

Magnitude 5.0-5.9: Several dozen aftershocks.
Magnitude 6.0-6.9: Hundreds of aftershocks.
Magnitude 7.0 and above: Thousands of aftershocks over time.

Aftershocks can continue for days, weeks, or even months after the main event, with their frequency typically decreasing over time.