for the Quake heads .Major quake Costa Rica 7.9

BAM!! thats a big 'un.


Magnitude Mw 7.9
Region COSTA RICA
Date time 2012-09-05 14:42:11.0 UTC
Location 10.19 N ; 85.24 W
Depth 48 km
[link to www.emsc-csem.org]


TSUNAMI BULLETIN NUMBER 001
PACIFIC TSUNAMI WARNING CENTER/NOAA/NWS
ISSUED AT 1450Z 05 SEP 2012

THIS BULLETIN APPLIES TO AREAS WITHIN AND BORDERING THE PACIFIC
OCEAN AND ADJACENT SEAS...EXCEPT ALASKA...BRITISH COLUMBIA...
WASHINGTON...OREGON AND CALIFORNIA.

... A TSUNAMI WARNING AND WATCH ARE IN EFFECT ...

A TSUNAMI WARNING IS IN EFFECT FOR

COSTA RICA / PANAMA / NICARAGUA / EL SALVADOR / HONDURAS /
MEXICO / COLOMBIA / ECUADOR / GUATEMALA / PERU

A TSUNAMI WATCH IS IN EFFECT FOR
CHILE

seems they were kind of expecting it

http://www.insidecostarica.com/dailynews/2012/august/23/costarica12082301.htm

SAN JOSE, COSTA RICA – September 5th, 2012 – (InsideCostaRica.com) – Costa Rica has just been rocked by a strong earthquake. Reports of strong shaking are being reported from the Central Valley, Central Pacific, Northern Pacific, and Lake Arenal regions amongst others. The USGS is initially reporting that the quake measured 7.9 on the richter scale and struck approximately 80km south of the northern city of Liberia, and 153 km west of the capital San Jose, at a depth of 20km (12.4 miles).

A tsunami alert has been issued for most of the countries in the region. We have received reports of downed power lines in San Jose and some electric service being affected.

Tourists at resorts near the coast are being taken to higher ground.

We have no reports of injuries or damages as of this time. USGS says the quake struck at 8:42am local time.

Source : INSIDE costa rica

eskimocat

Half heard it announced on the radio today at work, figured it must have been big as you rarely hear of any of the small ones like that... but a 7.9!! Jeeeseeee!

up for anything

My two favourite weather ladies here in one thread.

Somehow reading things like this makes an earthquake more real.

From Earthquake Report

Update 21:57 UTC
- The CNE (National Emergency Comission) declared a red alert in all the country.
- So far Ovsicori has counted 170 aftershocks
- As the hospital in Puntaareanas has been closed, people looking for care have to visit other nearby dispensaria
- The Costa Rica Red Cross has reduced the number of fatalities to 1 (woman of 50 or 55 years old, depending on the source). The Red Cross could not confirm the second person who allegedly had been killed by a collapsing wall. In pure earthquake terms, the woman who perished after a heart attack, cannot be counted as a direct earthquake victim (secondary reason).
- The MOPT has started repair works on 7 closed roads

Update 20:54 UTC
Structural damage has been reported from :
- Hacienda Ministery in San Jose
- Popular bank in San Jose
- Hospital Monseñor Sanabria, in Puntarenas
- 10 houses destroyed in Lepanto de Puntaneras

Update 20:26 UTC
- Oviscori reports 75 aftershocks of the earthquake ranging from 3 to 4.7

Update 19:59 UTC
- Some neighboring countries had called a tsunami alert, not knowing exactly where the epicenter was. All these tsunami alerts have now been canceled. GDACS did calculated theoretic waves of max. 0.2 meter in many Costa Rican localities.
- Most of the damage we have seen so far is broken windows, some collapsed walls in older houses, fallen ceilings etc. Nothing as devastating as often in similar earthquakes elsewhere.
- A lot of damage in the municipal building of Nicoya, apparently all the second floor has been damaged.

Update 19:53 UTC
- RIU Guacanaste hotel has been damaged
- kids in a school were injured when the ceiling fell on them but nothing serious
- BAC Credomatic and Scotiabank are halting their services. HSBC continues to operate.

Update 19:45 UTC
- La Anexion hospital in Nicoya reports 7 injured, one of them seriously injured
Update 19:32 UTC
- The Rincon de la Vieja volcano shows new fissures probably due to the earthquake
- Today’s earthquake is the second strongest one in Costa Rica as far as history logs can go back in time

Update 19:28 UTC :
- The Santa Barbara church in Santa Cruz was partially destroyed said the residents but nobody was inside when it happened
- The hospital in Puntarenas is seriously damaged from the 4th floor upwards. The hospital carried 219 patients at the occurence of the earthquake. This has been reported by firefighters.
- 3 landslides are reported as very important. these landslides are situated in between Zancedo and Quesada

Update 19:12 UTC :
- The dikes in the Tampisque river near Filadelfia has been (seriously ?) damaged
- The church of San Nicolas de Nicoya and Quebrada Honda got fisures and cracked walls. The Naranjo church apparently has a lot of serious damage.

Update 19:05 UTC :
- Power has been restored in San Antonio de Belén, San Juan, San Lorenzo, Santa Bárbara de Heredia, Zapote and Desamparados.
- In various hospitals (ie Mexico hospital), only patients with serious injuries are accepted. Planned surgery has been cancelled as priority is given to injured people from the earthquake

Update 18:45 UTC :
- A lot of damage is reported from Cobana
- ICE hopes to re-establish 100% of the communications within a couple of hours
- Apart from the mainshock in Samara, 14 other important earthquakes have been recorded by state owned Ovsicori in various other parts of the country
- at least 5 roads are totally blocked because of cracks and landslides

Update 18:34 UTC :
- Many parts of the country are reporting various degrees of damage.
- The Colonial Temple in Nicoya (377 years old) did suffer a lot of damage

Update 18:25 UTC :
- A second fatality has been added to the already known hearth attack victim. A man was hit by a collapsing wall in Nicoya. Nothing could be done by the rescue services to save his live.

Update 18:19 UTC :
- Ovsicori has reported a little while ago that 25 aftershocks have been recorded the first hour after the mainshock.
- Filadelfia is considered more and more as the “most affected” location of this earthquake. Filadelfia is also the location were the 50 year old woman died from a heart attack.

Update 18:05 UTC :
- The last powerful earthquake in Nicoya occurred on October 6, 1950 and made a lot of damage. 25% of the houses collapsed. A lot of damage was also inflicted at the port of Puntarenas, also used for cruiseships.
- A total of approx. 28000 people will have experienced a very strong shaking today.
- Today’s earthquake has been felt well in Nicaragua and in Panama

Update 17:46 UTC :
- A woman has died because of an heart attack in Filadelfia, Guanacaste

Update 17:43 UTC :
An ER reader having witnessed the earthquake in Monteverde wrote : “Sitting at desk when hit took cover under desk, hard to stand. Rolling waves lasted maybe 30-45 seconds or so, no damage just small items knocked down, pictures on walls askew. Have lived over Hayward fault in SF bay area, which is more jerky, strong jolt. This was more like waves on ocean.”

Sponge Bob

Costa Rica is probably the only central american country that could withstand such a quake without large scale casualties. It has a well run government with decent and enforced buiding standards.

A smaller quake in neighbouring Nicaragua killed 1000's..nearly including a by then demented Howard Hughes. in 1972.

rameire

incase people are interested and have a smart phone with apps.
there is an app, Earthquake Alert! by Josh Clemm, it has a green picture,
I use this and it is very good, it feeds from the USGS.
it has maps, news, latest quakes, and many more.