SANTO DOMINGO– The recent earthquakes that have struck the region in less than two months have raised concerns among Dominicans that the country could face a similar catastrophe. For this reason, El Inmobiliario spoke with Maribel Guzmán, civil engineer and president of the Dominican Society of Structural Engineers (SINEDOM), who stated that a similar event could occur in the Dominican Republic.
The specialist explained that phenomena like those recently recorded in Venezuela and Colombia could occur in Dominican territory, because the country has similar seismological conditions.
“If we refer to the recent events that occurred in Colombia and Venezuela, yes, the Dominican Republic has a seismic threat similar to the seismological conditions of those countries, because we share active geological faults,” he stated.
Damage would depend on the materials and compliance with seismic standards
According to the specialist, the potential collapse of a building or home in the event of a hypothetical large-magnitude earthquake will depend on various factors, including the responsibility and rigor with which the structure was built.
“Vulnerability depends on the buildings. In our country, we cannot deny that for some years now many buildings have been constructed properly, following the guidelines of the country's seismic analysis and design regulations, with good supervision and good control of materials. We understand that these buildings could perform well and not show damage in the event of major earthquakes.”.
Responsibility in construction influences the strength of buildings
However, Guzmán stated that not everything “is rosy”, as there are still constructions that do not adequately comply with the established processes and requirements.
“But it is also a reality that many of our buildings were not built properly, they were not designed by specialists, seismic regulations were not taken into account, they were built by non-professional or unprepared personnel, who are unaware of the construction details that make a structure earthquake-resistant,” he emphasized.
Rigor at each stage of construction contributes to the strength of the buildings
The engineer emphasized that the foundations constitute another fundamental element for a building to be able to respond adequately to an earthquake.
“A large number of buildings that do not meet these criteria lack adequate foundations or footings. In other words, there are a number of factors present in our deficient buildings, and this makes all these structures vulnerable and susceptible to total or partial damage during a major seismic event,” he explained.
A historic earthquake of magnitude 8.0 shook the Dominican Republic in 1946
The specialist recalled that this type of phenomenon should not be foreign to Dominicans, since 80 years ago the country was affected by an 8.0 magnitude earthquake that mainly impacted the northeast region.
“On August 4th, a fairly large earthquake struck the country, which triggered the tsunami that devastated the town of Matancitas. So, the seismic threat is real!” he concluded.
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