The Cuban Center for Seismological Research (CENAIS) has recorded a staggering 885 earthquakes within the last 24 hours. This period, spanning from 6:00 am Sunday to 5:59 am Monday, included two significant tremors with magnitudes of 6.0 and 6.7 felt across the central-eastern provinces of the island.
Enrique Diego Arango Arias, head of the national seismological service at CENAIS, took to Facebook to report ongoing aftershocks in the southeast region near Pilón in Granma. This area experienced a substantial quake that jolted the eastern part of Cuba early Sunday morning. Meanwhile, the rest of the country, including the southeastern region near the Oriente fault, remains calm for now.
According to Arango Arias, predicting short-term seismic activity is not feasible, thus adherence to the Civil Defense's guidelines for moderate or severe earthquakes is crucial in each region.
Aftershocks and Public Advisory
Earlier, Ana María Vázquez Villavicencio, a communication specialist at CENAIS, had reported 884 seismic events. By 9:06 pm, 495 aftershocks had been recorded, with more than 20 noticeable in Granma, as reported by Radio Granma Manzanillo.
In response, Santiago de Cuba's governor, Manuel Falcón Hernández, urged residents to prepare an emergency kit containing identification documents, food, medication, a sheet or blanket, and any other essentials for safety, along with house keys. "There is no tsunami risk," he emphasized.
Seismic Activity and Community Response
Beatriz Johnson Urrutia, the first secretary of the Party in Santiago de Cuba, detailed the occurrence of a "premonitory earthquake of magnitude 6.0 on the Richter scale, a main quake of 6.7, and over 300 aftershocks, with 15 being perceptible," with magnitudes ranging from 2.5 to 5.9.
Dr. Enrique Diego Arango Arias, head of Cuba's National Seismological Service at CENAIS, highlighted the severity of the situation following these two major earthquakes. "The situation is quite complicated, with many damages reported in Pilón. We need damage reports if available," he stated.