1999 Armenia, Colombia earthquake
Encyclopedia
The 1999 Coffee Axis, Colombia earthquake was an earthquake
that heavily affected the city of Armenia, Colombia
in the Quindío department, 18 towns and 28 villages in the Colombian Coffee-Growers Axis
region departments, and to a lesser degree, the cities of Pereira
and Manizales
.
The earthquake occurred on Monday, 25 January 1999 13:19 (18:19 UTC) and had a magnitude of 6.2. The epicenter
was 25 miles (40 km) west south west of Ibague
, Colombia. It was the strongest earthquake to strike Colombia for 16 years.
where the Nazca, Cocos, and Pacific plates converge.
About 60% of the existent poorly engineered
structures in Armenia collapsed, due to the high amount of old structures, built without technical requirements and the lack of urban planning and land studies.
The worst hit part of the country were regional capitals of Armenia
and Pereira
. In Armenia, about 10 miles (17 km) south of the epicentre, single-story homes were demolished by the seismological event.
The initial earthquake produced a rough casualty estimate of about 1000 people. The first (17:40) aftershock produced a still indeterminate number of victims among the people trying to remove their goods from the semi-collapsed structures. The subsequent riots, robberies to the injured victims, attacks to the shops and homes, and fights for food, water and accommodation raised the total number of deaths to over 2000 . The corpses that were retrieved were carried to the local University of Quindio
auditorium to be identified by their relatives. Since the forensic services were out, many of them could not be recognized and were buried in common tombs.
. As a consequence, the attention of the victims was chaotic. About 4,000 people with various degrees of lesions were attended in the remaining health care centers of the city. An undetermined number of injured victims (many of them unidentified) were carried by airplane to different cities (mainly Bogotá
, Medellín
, and Cali
), and out of the country.
industry was heavily affected. About 8,000 coffee farms were completely or partially destroyed, and 13,000 structures of several kinds of enterprises and industries were damaged and went temporarily or permanently out of service. The banks and financial entities could not dispense money for several weeks.
In January 2002, three years after the earthquake hit, the new community of El Cantaro was finished. Many of the 125 families that gathered to celebrate the completion of their homes were chosen from among the neediest. An ecological park was created further down the eponymous stream.
Earthquake
An earthquake is the result of a sudden release of energy in the Earth's crust that creates seismic waves. The seismicity, seismism or seismic activity of an area refers to the frequency, type and size of earthquakes experienced over a period of time...
that heavily affected the city of Armenia, Colombia
Armenia, Colombia
Armenia is the capital of Quindío, a department in Colombia. The city is located at coordinates 4.5170° north, 75.6830° west, 290 kilometers west of Bogotá. Armenia is a mid-size city located between Bogotá, Medellín and Cali, the 3 largest Colombian cities. The city's area code for phone calls is...
in the Quindío department, 18 towns and 28 villages in the Colombian Coffee-Growers Axis
Colombian Coffee-Growers Axis
Colombian Coffee-Growers Axis , also known as Coffee Triangle is a part of the Colombian Paisa region which is famous for growing and production of a majority of the Colombian coffee, considered by some as the best coffee in the world. There are three departments in the area: Caldas, Quindío and...
region departments, and to a lesser degree, the cities of Pereira
Pereira, Colombia
Pereira is the capital city of the Colombian department of Risaralda. It stands in the center of the western region of the country, located in a small valley that descends from a part of the western Andes mountain chain. Its strategic location in the coffee producing area makes the city an urban...
and Manizales
Manizales
Manizales is a city and municipality in central Colombia, capital of Department of Caldas and part of the region of Colombian Coffee-Growers Axis, near the Nevado del Ruiz volcano....
.
The earthquake occurred on Monday, 25 January 1999 13:19 (18:19 UTC) and had a magnitude of 6.2. The epicenter
Epicenter
The epicenter or epicentre is the point on the Earth's surface that is directly above the hypocenter or focus, the point where an earthquake or underground explosion originates...
was 25 miles (40 km) west south west of Ibague
Ibagué
Ibagué is the capital of the department of Tolima in Colombia. It is situated 1,285 m above sea level, on the eastern slopes of the Cordillera Central between the Chipalo and Combeima rivers, tributaries of the Coello River...
, Colombia. It was the strongest earthquake to strike Colombia for 16 years.
Causes
This area has a well known high seismic risk, due to the triple junction that occurs at the northwest corner of the South American PlateSouth American Plate
The South American Plate is a continental tectonic plate which includes the continent of South America and also a sizeable region of the Atlantic Ocean seabed extending eastward to the Mid-Atlantic Ridge....
where the Nazca, Cocos, and Pacific plates converge.
About 60% of the existent poorly engineered
Earthquake engineering
Earthquake engineering is the scientific field concerned with protecting society, the natural and the man-made environment from earthquakes by limiting the seismic risk to socio-economically acceptable levels...
structures in Armenia collapsed, due to the high amount of old structures, built without technical requirements and the lack of urban planning and land studies.
Death toll
The earthquake hit Colombia's coffee-growing region, and toppled tower blocks, hotels, and historic churches in Armenia. Most of these buildings that collapsed were old and poorly constructed, or were built on poor soil such as old landfill sites or steep slopes. The newer structures, for the most part, survived intact due to safety measures being established in 1984.The worst hit part of the country were regional capitals of Armenia
Armenia, Colombia
Armenia is the capital of Quindío, a department in Colombia. The city is located at coordinates 4.5170° north, 75.6830° west, 290 kilometers west of Bogotá. Armenia is a mid-size city located between Bogotá, Medellín and Cali, the 3 largest Colombian cities. The city's area code for phone calls is...
and Pereira
Pereira, Colombia
Pereira is the capital city of the Colombian department of Risaralda. It stands in the center of the western region of the country, located in a small valley that descends from a part of the western Andes mountain chain. Its strategic location in the coffee producing area makes the city an urban...
. In Armenia, about 10 miles (17 km) south of the epicentre, single-story homes were demolished by the seismological event.
The initial earthquake produced a rough casualty estimate of about 1000 people. The first (17:40) aftershock produced a still indeterminate number of victims among the people trying to remove their goods from the semi-collapsed structures. The subsequent riots, robberies to the injured victims, attacks to the shops and homes, and fights for food, water and accommodation raised the total number of deaths to over 2000 . The corpses that were retrieved were carried to the local University of Quindio
University of Quindio
The University of Quindio , is a public, coeducational, research university based primarily in Armenia, Quindio, Colombia.-External links:* official site...
auditorium to be identified by their relatives. Since the forensic services were out, many of them could not be recognized and were buried in common tombs.
Injured
The structures of many hospitals were damaged, and the resources available for health care were insufficient even before the event. Furthermore, the area had limited reaction plans case of disasters and little experience with triageTriage
Triage or ) is the process of determining the priority of patients' treatments based on the severity of their condition. This rations patient treatment efficiently when resources are insufficient for all to be treated immediately. The term comes from the French verb trier, meaning to separate,...
. As a consequence, the attention of the victims was chaotic. About 4,000 people with various degrees of lesions were attended in the remaining health care centers of the city. An undetermined number of injured victims (many of them unidentified) were carried by airplane to different cities (mainly Bogotá
Bogotá
Bogotá, Distrito Capital , from 1991 to 2000 called Santa Fé de Bogotá, is the capital, and largest city, of Colombia. It is also designated by the national constitution as the capital of the department of Cundinamarca, even though the city of Bogotá now comprises an independent Capital district...
, Medellín
Medellín
Medellín , officially the Municipio de Medellín or Municipality of Medellín, is the second largest city in Colombia. It is in the Aburrá Valley, one of the more northerly of the Andes in South America. It has a population of 2.3 million...
, and Cali
Calì
Calì, also written in English as Cali, is an Italian surname, widespread mainly in the Ionian side of Sicily.For the surname Calì is assumed the origin of the Greek word kalos , or from its Sanskrit root kali, "time."The surname refers to:...
), and out of the country.
Missing persons
The amount of missing persons as a result of the earthquake is estimated near to 3900. Some factors involved in the disappearance of this people are the security issues due to the riots, the collapse of communications and roads, the lack of coordination of the rescue forces, dispatch of the injured victims and identification of the corpses. Mainly the injuries in the earthquakes were made by collapsing buildings which broke bones, concussions, bruises, cuts and many more injuries. Some were very bad others weren't.Economic impact
The main economic activity of the region, the Colombian coffeeColombian coffee
Colombian Coffee is a protected designation of origin granted by the European Union that applies to the coffee produced in Colombia. The Colombian coffee has been recognized worldwide as having high quality and distinctive taste...
industry was heavily affected. About 8,000 coffee farms were completely or partially destroyed, and 13,000 structures of several kinds of enterprises and industries were damaged and went temporarily or permanently out of service. The banks and financial entities could not dispense money for several weeks.
Aftershocks
15:40 (22:40 UTC) with a magnitude of 5.4 on the Richter scale. Other aftershocks that caused panicking among the inhabitants were: The 29th at 23:33 (4.2) and the 31st at 03:03 (3.5)Aftermath
Colombian authorities imposed a dawn-till-dusk curfew after the earthquake, to allow rescue workers to work unhindered. Looting was widespread in Armenia after residents, disturbed by the slow movement of the relief effort, broke into food stores and stole supplies. Then Colombian president Andrés Pastrana postponed a trip to Germany to attend a World Bank meeting to view the destruction himself. He later had to send soldiers to the afflicted area to restore order.In January 2002, three years after the earthquake hit, the new community of El Cantaro was finished. Many of the 125 families that gathered to celebrate the completion of their homes were chosen from among the neediest. An ecological park was created further down the eponymous stream.