MAGNITUDE 6.2 EARTHQUAKE, COSTA RICA

UNCLAS SAN JOSE 000010 DEPARTMENT FOR USAID/OFDA: ROB THAYER, JAMES KESSINGER AIDAC E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: EAID PGOV AEMR ASEC PHUM SEVN KFLO CS SUBJECT: MAGNITUDE 6.2 EARTHQUAKE, COSTA RICA ¶1. AS A RESULT OF DAMAGE CAUSED BY A MAGNITUDE 6.2 EARTHQUAKE THAT OCCURRED AT 13:21 ON JANUARY 8, 2009, THE CHIEF OF MISSION HAS DETERMINED THAT THE DISASTER IS OF SUFFICIENT MAGNITUDE TO WARRANT USG ASSISTANCE, AND THAT PROVIDING ASSISTANCE IS IN THE BEST INTEREST OF THE USG. THE SITUATION HAS EXCEEDED THE EFFECTIVE RESPONSE CAPACITY OF THE GOVERNMENT OF COSTA RICA, AND ASSISTANCE WAS REQUESTED BY THE COUNTRY'S PRESIDENT IN A DIRECT CONVERSATION WITH THE COM. THUS, THE COM IS EXERCISING HIS DISASTER ASSISTANCE AUTHORITY. ¶2. THE QUAKE'S EPICENTER WAS SOME 20 MILES NW OF SAN JOSE, IN THE VICINITY OF THE POAS VOLCANO. THIS QUAKE OCCURRED AT A DEPTH OF APPROXIMATELY 28 KILOMETERS. THE EARTHQUAKE AFFECTED THE CENTRAL VALLEY. THERE WERE REPORTS OF SIGNIFICANT DAMAGE IN AND AROUND THE CITIES OF HEREDIA AND ALAJUELA, WITH AN AS YET UNDETERMINED NUMBER OF HOMES AND OTHER BUILDINGS DAMAGED, INCLUDING THE MUNICIPAL BUILDING IN ALAJUELA. RESPONSE EFFORTS ARE CENTERED ON THE AREA OF VARA BLANCA, WHICH IS LOCATED BETWEEN THE POAS AND BARVA VOLCANOES. FROM VARA BLANCA TO THE NORTH, ALONG THE SARAPIQUI RIVER, THERE HAVE BEEN A LARGE NUMBER OF LANDSLIDES, WHICH ARE HAMPERING ASSISTANCE EFFORTS. THERE ARE REPORTS OF PEOPLE HAVING BEEN INJURED BY LANDSLIDES IN THIS CORRIDOR. ¶3. BASED ON REPORTS FROM THE COSTA RICA RED CROSS, 2,377 PEOPLE WERE DIRECTLY AFFECTED BY THE QUAKE, WITH 1,078 BEING HOUSED IN TEMPORARY ACCOMMODATIONS. FOUR DEATHS HAVE BEEN CONFIRMED, ALTHOUGH LOCAL MEDIA ARE CURRENTLY REPORTING 13 DEATHS. AN ADDITIONAL 14 PERSONS ARE MISSING. ¶4. SINCE ROAD ACCESS IS BLOCKED, THE NATIONAL EMERGENCY COMMISSION (CNE) HAS ESTABLISHED AN AIR BRIDGE TO EVACUATE INJURED AND ISOLATED PEOPLE. AS OF LATE ON 9 JANUARY, AN ESTIMATED 600 PEOPLE WERE INACCESSIBLE IN A 16 KM. STRETCH OF OBSTRUCTED AND/OR DESTROYED MOUNTAIN ROAD. THE REGION HAS SUFFERED A SIGNIFICANT NUMBER OF LARGE LANDSLIDES, AND WITH AFTERSHOCKS CONTINUING, ADDITIONAL SLIDES ARE POSSIBLE. THUS, PROMPT EVACUATION IS ESSENTIAL. ¶5. THE AMBASSADOR'S AUTHORITY OF $50,000 WILL BE USED BY POST TO PAY FOR RENTAL OF HELICOPTERS TO AUGMENT THE CAPACITY BEING DEPLOYED BY THE CNE. THIS AIR SUPPORT WILL BE USED TO EVACUATE INJURED AND ISOLATED PEOPLE FROM THE DISASTER ZONE AND MOVE THEM TO SAFETY. ¶6. THE CENTRAL VALLEY IS UNDER A GOCR-DECLARED RED ALERT. PRESIDENT ARIAS SPOKE WITH THE COM AND SPECIFICALLY REQUESTED ASSISTANCE WITH THE AIR OPERATIONS DESCRIBED ABOVE. ¶7. USAID/OFDA CONTINUES TO COORDINATE WITH THE CNE. POST WILL ADVISE IF OTHER HUMANITARIAN GAPS ARE IDENTIFIED AND REQUEST ADDITIONAL RESOURCES AS APPROPRIATE. CIANCHETTE