El Salvador Earthquake of 2001

On January 13, 2001, El Salvador was struck with an earthquake of 7.6 magnitude on the Richter Scale. The epicenter was located off the Pacific Coast of El Salvador and was felt from Costa Rica to Mexico. This quake killed at least 315 people and 3,399 injured with extensive damage. An earlier quake killed more than 800 and left at least 2,000 missing and some 4,500 injured. Almost 250,000 homes were destroyed or damaged in the quake. Because of the amount of earthquakes and tsunami’s El Salvador faces, the chances of a full recovery are slim. Roads were once again blocked by landslides, and all government buildings were evacuated waiting for further inspections. In El Salvador, the National Emergency Committee, (COEN) is the agency that coordinates all emergency activities. This committee met a day after the earthquake and provided the first data about the magnitude and severity of its effects on the population. (Fernandez, Verdajo & Perez, 2001)

The greatest amount of deaths occurred in the suburb of Las Colinas, where the impact sent tons of mud crashing down the hillside into newly built developments causing extensive damage. Many ended up being buried alive. Rescuers brought in bulldozers to try and make the rescue process faster but the amount of damage was incredible. In the desperate need to save lives, many began digging people out with their bare hands. The searching for friends and loved ones continued throughout the night and lasted for weeks. In need of help, the Salvadoran President Francisco Flores appealed for international assistance which caused the UK Government to pledge more than 600,000 Euros providing essential items such as; medicine, sanitation and clean water supplies to all those in need of relief. What was affected the most was the water supply. Storage tanks in the pumping plants of the water supply system were greatly affected. The costs of the water damages amounted to more than five million dollars. Evacuation from danger zones began and those who were located in the danger zones were re-located into 82 shelters, distributed in 10 of the most affected departments. A total number of 64,606 people were taken to these shelters. (BBC News, 2001)

USAID (U.S Agency for International Development) implemented a $159 million recovery program to assist El Salvador in recovering from the two earthquakes. Most of the funding was spent for the construction of approximately 26,000 houses for low-income families who lost homes in the earthquakes. Lessons learned from other recovery programs were used in aiding El Salvador during the earthquake disasters. As of March 31, 2003, USAID had expended $58 million of its $159 million in program funding and is making progress in implementing some activities. The Salvadoran Ministry of Public Works laid off 7,000 of its 8,000 workers through a "voluntary" retirement plan .This earthquake devastated El Salvador's infrastructure, especially roads, schools, the health care sector, and the water system. Repairs that needed attention were so extensive it was too hard to have a complete recovery from the many disasters El Salvador faced in such a short period of time. (Wisner, & Fordham, 2001)

Fernandez, G, Verdejo, G, & Perez, L. (2001). Earthquakes in el salvador. Pan American Health Organization, 22(1), Retrieved from http://www.paho.org/english/sha/be_v22n1-earthquakes.htm

BBC News, . (2001, January 13). Earthquake devastates salvador. BBC News, 1, Retrieved from http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/january/13/newsid_2554000/2554149.stm

Wisner, B, & Fordham, M. (2001, February 14). El salvador earthquake of 13th februray 2001 [Electronic mailing list message]. Retrieved from http://www.radixonline.org/elsalvador2.html