Attachments
A. Situation analysis
Description of the disaster
On 5 May 2018, the Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources, MARN (for its acronym in Spanish) reported the occurrence of a seismic swarm between the municipalities of Chirilagua (department of San Miguel), Intipucá and El Carmen (department of La Union).
The National Seismic Network of El Salvador registered a total of 733 earthquakes between 6:33 p.m. on Saturday 5 May 2018 and 6:00 a.m. on Wednesday 9 May 2018. The epicentre is located between the municipalities of Chirilagua (department of San Miguel) and Intipucá (department of La Unión); of all the earthquakes registered up to that date, 95 per cent of them were felt by the population, with magnitudes oscillating between 2.4 and 5.6 on the Richter Scale.
The largest magnitude earthquake of 5.6 and an intensity of VII on the Modified Mercalli Intensity Scale was recorded at 1:02 p.m. on Sunday, 6 May in the municipalities of Chirilagua and Intipucá; this earthquake caused severe damage to the municipalities’ houses since must of the structures are made of mud, adobe or bahareque (mud with grass).
The National Civil Protection System’s damages report indicated that the earthquake damaged 289 houses, destroyed 11 houses damaged 9 educational centres, caused slight damage to structures in the municipalities of Conchagua and Intipucá and affected 2 roads (road blockages in the detour La Estrechura and El Capulín and two rock slides in the El Litoral highway [CA-2 E]).
On the day of the issuance of the seismic swarm alert, the SRCS’s headquarters’ monitoring system was activated, and in coordination with the Usuluán of San Miguel, La Union and Intipucá branches, the SRCS’s emergency operations centre continuously monitored the situation for ten days.
On Monday, 14 May, personnel from the SRCS’s headquarters in monitored the departmental civil protection committee’s actions and the delivery of aid to the municipality of Intipucá.
Additionally, the SRCS’s branches in the seismic zone supported the local authorities’ evacuation of affected people to safe places.
Summary of response
Overview of Host National Society
The National Society established focal points in the municipal and departmental commissions, and it carried out a preliminary assessment of the damage to the affected area within six hours of the earthquake; twenty-four hours later, the SRCS deployed a Damage Assessment and Needs Analysis (DANA) team to conduct a more detailed evaluation and verify the affected population’s needs. In view of the results obtained by the evaluation, the National Society prepared a shipment of humanitarian assistance, which was held within the SRCS’s warehouse as part of a prepositioning strategy to support the collective centres in the affected areas, specifically in the canton of Tierra Blanca of the municipality of Chirilagua; the shipment consisted of 210 hygiene kits, 210 tarpaulins and 1,050 light blankets.
Overview of Red Cross Red Crescent Movement in country
The Spanish Red Cross and Swiss Red Cross have delegations are present in the country, which made their resources available to the SRCS if required. In addition, the Swiss Red Cross supported a DANA team that the SRCS deployed to the municipality of Intipucá, which was affected by the seismic swarms; this National Society mobilized this team from Bajo Lempa in Usulután, where it is working on a project to strengthen the resilience of the communities in the Bajo Lempa area.
Overview of non-Red Cross Red Crescent actors in country
On 6 May 2018, the government, through the National Directorate of Civil Protection declared, an orange alert for the municipalities of Chirilagua, Intipucá and el Carmen and a Yellow Alert for the departments of San Miguel and La Unión; the National Society also made a call for the integration of the Sectorial Technical Commissions for emergency assistance.
• The National Operations Centre was activated as well as the Urban Search and Rescue Group (USAR) El Salvador group to conduct damage assessment actions.
• The United Nations system activated its humanitarian network to coordinate with local and municipal governments to verify the damage assessment information and determine how it could support the response efforts.
• The affected municipalities activated their municipal and departmental commissions.
• The central government, in coordination with local governments, installed tarpaulins in the different collective centres that did not have a roof or protective cover.
• The municipal governments conducted censuses of the population housed and/or concentrated in the different collective centres.
• El Salvador’s president reported that the Ministry of Finance allocated USD$1 million to the National Commission of Civil Protection to meet the needs of the population affected by the seismic swarm in La Union and San Miguel, specifically in the municipalities of Intipucá, El Carmen and Chirilagua.
• The priorities established in the use of these funds are aimed to the supply of water and food and the repair or reconstruction of housing.