In Oaxaca, Thousands of Aftershocks Mean No One’s Getting Much Sleep Shannon Young - PRI’s The World
go to original September 29, 2017

A man drives an oxcart past the rubble of what was once a traditional-style home in Unión Hidalgo, Oaxaca (Vladimir Flores)

Update: New 5.6 Magnitude Earthquake Strikes Off Mexico's Southern Coast - USGS (RT)

For many in Oaxaca, Saturday’s shaking was the third time in as many weeks that an earthquake measuring above a magnitude 6 sent them running outside. It was the strongest of the thousands of aftershocks that have been rocking the region for weeks now.



The constant movements have people in the Isthmus of Tehuantepec on edge. Unlike the national and state capital cities, the region does not have a seismic alert system. So, residents have been relying on their senses and even visual cues, like swaying power lines, to gauge the intensity of an aftershock — or even just confirm that it happened. There have been so many that people are starting to question whether they imagined them.

“We’re not getting any shut-eye because we have to be ready to run,” says Monica Torres. She’s been living in a shelter in the town of San Dionisio del Mar ever since the first earthquake destroyed her home. “Everybody’s blood pressure or sugar levels are going up. Everyone’s sad. We’ve been left without homes.”

The constant shaking is also affecting what people have to eat because they’ve been relying on aid packages filled with nonperishable canned food.

“We almost never eat canned things,” says Neri Sosa, who’s also at the San Dionisio shelter. As its Spanish name suggests, the town is located along the seaside, and fresh fish and shrimp are local staples. But with homes in ruins, and aftershocks causing choppy waters, villagers aren’t fishing much these days. And the price of fresh produce has skyrocketed.

Read the rest at PRI’s The World

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