Seismic alert: José Martínez Brito warns about structural vulnerability in the Dominican Republic
The recent 7.4 magnitude earthquake recorded in Colombia has raised alarms in the Dominican Republic, sparking a necessary debate about the response capacity and resilience of our infrastructure in the face of a large-scale event. During his participation in Esto No es Radio Show, communicator and firefighter José Martínez Brito offered a worrying X-ray of the country’s tectonic reality.
Brito stressed that, like Colombia, the Dominican Republic is located in a highly complex zone due to the interaction of the North American and Caribbean plates. The expert highlighted that, while other regions have released energy recently, the Septentrional fault in the north of the national territory remains constantly accumulating tension, without having recorded a major event since 1946.
Devastating scenarios and the danger of buildings
Studies conducted by specialists from the Autonomous University of Santo Domingo (UASD) and the National Office for Seismic Assessment and Vulnerability of Infrastructure and Buildings (ONESVIE) project a critical scenario in the event of a possible 8.1 magnitude earthquake. According to Brito, the difference in scale is abysmal: an 8.1 magnitude earthquake has 11 times the power of a 7.4 one.
What kills you is not the seismic movement, what kills you is the building that falls. What kills you is the building that breaks and the bridge that collapses.
José Martínez Brito
The analysis highlights that, in the event of a major earthquake in Santiago de los Caballeros, the projections are alarming:
- Estimated economic losses of 10 billion dollars.
- Potential destruction of between 2,500 and 3,000 buildings.
- Doubts regarding the structural integrity of hospitals and public command centers.
Challenges in risk management
Beyond the quality of the constructions, Martínez Brito pointed out a critical deficiency in the State’s operational capacity. With barely 200 specialized rescuers nationwide, the response to a massive collapse of structures would be insufficient, making it difficult even to assess the damage in the days following the catastrophe.
To strengthen national resilience, the communicator proposed urgent measures:
- Integration of risk management and first aid into the school curriculum.
- Promotion of volunteering in institutions such as Civil Defense and Fire Departments.
- Independent citizen training to act before, during, and after seismic activity.
Brito concluded by reminding the population that, in the event of an earthquake, the priority is to protect the head from falling objects and, once the movement has ended, to evacuate structures in an orderly manner to prevent risks derived from hidden structural damage.
