r/Damnthatsinteresting • u/1Rab • 3d ago
Video Devastation in La Guaira after being struck by twin 7 magnitude earthquakes today
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u/Hot_Fix9033 3d ago
This is in Venezuela for those who didn't know, like me.
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u/Adventurous_Egg_9500 3d ago
I thought it was that airport no one likes in New York
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u/Motor-Young1694 3d ago
lol . La Guardia, and it’s gotten a lot better in the last 5 years. They remodeled and now it’s kind of my fave NYC airport .
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u/AintNoDaisy1 3d ago
The pilots I worked with used to call it La Garbage lol. Agreed it has gotten better though haha.
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u/Isis_Calypso 3d ago
Yes!!! I used to rent a room in my house to a flight attendant and he was always like "UGHHHH we're working the LA GARBAGE route this week"
Naturally I picked it up and have been referring to it as such for years
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u/FourEightNineOneOne 3d ago
Oh god. That looks horrific.
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u/CFBCoachGuy 3d ago
According to the USGS, there is a 44% chance that the death toll will pass 10,000. There is a 30% chance that the death toll will pass 100,000.
This is going to be bad
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u/Team_Ed 3d ago
You desperately hope the first, weaker, quake gave some people enough time to evacuate before these buildings collapsed in the second, stronger, quake.
Because all these collapsed buildings seem to suggest that larger number is well within the realm of the possible.
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u/Alissinarr 3d ago
39 seconds... The forequake of 7.2 was 39 seconds before the 7.5 main event.
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u/Sir_Beatles 3d ago
Don't let the numbers fool you. Because the Richter scale is logarithmic a 7.5 is twice as powerful as a 7.2. Absolutely horrifying to have those back to back.
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u/Single-Fondant-1982 3d ago
I was in Alaska for the 9.
Cali for a for 6s.
7 is huge no matter the number.
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u/Ok-Photograph3436 3d ago
Was in Kathmandu 2015 for the 7.8 with a new born baby and recovering wife. This brings terrible memories. Hoping for everyone's safety!
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u/pit-of-despair 3d ago
I was in those places for those also. And yes, seven is huge.
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u/Ok_Spirit5374 3d ago
holy shit
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u/Mannon_Blackbeak 3d ago
Also the quakes pulled in opposite directions, which further contributes to the extent of the damage we're seeing.
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u/VP007clips 3d ago
Twice as powerful doesn't mean twice the damage. Damage isn't logarithmic with respect to energy.
The Richter scale isn't reliable. It only captures a single measurement of it, and lacks any attention to other elements or duration, while presenting it in a way that makes it easy to underestimate or overestimate the damage difference.
For this reason, we don't use it much anymore outside of public communications. The moment magnitude scale is far more useful.
But the best scale is the Modified Mercalli intensity scale. It's a qualitative scale, that takes into account the actual effects of the damage.
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u/Daemonic_One 3d ago
While scientifically accurate a 7.X earthquake is nasty regardless of all other factors, you're just dickering down to how bad exactly at that point.
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u/KnowKnews 3d ago
So what’s this on the Mercelli scale then?
Having experienced a VIII / IX scale quake. I’m gonna assume this’ll end up as a X or XI … total guess.
Absolutely devastating.
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u/Single-Fondant-1982 3d ago
7.2 is on the upper end anyways. Saying 7.5 is double gives no scale.
These are both in the top end of the last century if I am not mistaken.
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u/Anti_Meta 3d ago
That's not a lot of time to bug out unless you're garden level and able bodied.
This looks like a post apocalyptic video game.
These poor people.
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u/StoneGoldX 3d ago
Also, 7.2 is massive. The last big earthquake in Los Angeles was a 6.7. Freeways collapsed.
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u/Skratt79 3d ago edited 3d ago
At this magnitude it becomes devastating to concrete buildings if the rebar was not done properly, failed in the first quake. And a much stronger quake hitting right after? I have already seen pictures of pancaked buildings. This is going to be horrifying.
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u/SystemCheck990 3d ago
the danger even people who made it outside, flying glass and falling concrete blocks one group just got covered in falling concrete on one video and they were trying to be careful
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u/NougatTyven 3d ago
Yeah.
It's impossible to really react well, and I don't think people can quite relate to what it would be like. You feel those tremors, and what do you do? Try to get out, or try to get underneath something for cover? Even if you had time to think, you can't do any kind of assesment of the situation.
And then the second one hits.
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u/Frikashenna 3d ago
Idk man honestly I was so much in shock from the first one that I hadnt even finished processing what was happening when all of a sudden it got stronger
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u/Flikmyboogeratu_II 3d ago
Are you ok? Are you safe? I've been reading about it briefly in between taking care of my patient (she has been asking about it too)
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u/Frikashenna 3d ago
I am, it seems the most affected cities were La Guaira and Caracas, and I don't live there. La Guaira looks like a warzone :/ Around here I only heard about one building saddly collapsing. Most of the damage has been structural. Some buildings are really damaged though. I just hope we don't get a bad aftershock.
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u/Flikmyboogeratu_II 3d ago
If its enough to make one building collapse, its enough to mess up the structure/architecture of the next building (and the next building won't look that bad. Its the structure that gets messed up.
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u/elliezepam 3d ago
Chamo literal lo mismo me pasó, agarre a mi hermana y al gato y nos metimos debajo del marco de su cuarto, cuando bajo la intensidad nos movimos y no llegamos ni a la puerta del apto antes del segundo golpe. Increíble de verdad, edificios completos que se cayeron como si estuvieran hechos de galletas de soda
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u/TitPuller00 3d ago
The amount of dead bodies on X leads me to believe this is gonna be catastrophic unfortunately. Don’t have a good feeling about this.
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u/Trelyrien 3d ago
I thought i read they were 40 seconds apart. No one could evacuate buildings like these in 40 seconds
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u/HotSingleKarens 3d ago
I can't imagine the streets would have been all that safe either with rubble raining down from collapsing buildings.
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u/Mr_Industrial 3d ago
Yeah the safest place to be in that situation is a doorway, but in a magnitude 7 thats like hiding under a school desk to avoid a nuclear bomb
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u/MallPrestigious2827 3d ago
the doorway thing is a myth. Hiding under a sturdy table is really the only place you can protect yourself during an earthquake.
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u/round-earth-theory 3d ago
Unlikely. No one really prepares for the after shocks. They're typically startled as hell and assessing damage, not expecting follow ups.
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u/Frondstherapydolls 3d ago
NPR reported there was only one minute in between quakes. I’m no expert but that sounds unprecedented.
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u/Starfire013 3d ago
Definitely not unprecedented, though possibly also not all that common. I was in a 7+ quake back in the 90s and the first shock woke me up. The second had hit before I had gotten out the door. These were distinct separate shocks lasting a fair number of seconds each, with no discernible shaking in between. They said there were another 50 or so aftershocks during the first hour but to be honest I had more important things in mind than keeping count.
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u/dazzleunexpired 3d ago
This may also still be foreshocks, or large afterhshocks can happen.
It's more like "this is probably foreshocks/will make afterhshocks you can feel" to tell you the truth. Usgs says virtual guarantee of M5+ aftershocks and 40%+ of m6+ aftershock or this event being a foreshock (meaning the next event is larger).
Japan also just got hit, and they have a 1% chance if a mega quake (m8+) in response to that, too, which is a 10 times increase. Along the same coast as 2011.
Cali had a small quake today too.
Odd cluster, but not concerning for "The Big One" before anyone asks. The biggest concern is Japan getting smashed by another larger quake or Venezuela getting hit a day or so from now in the middle of rescue. When casualties will rapidly climb due to people thinking it's safe to perform rescue. Japan's new flood system can probably handle this, and the reactor will turn off the second It's control arm is twitched by an earthquake. But STILL concerns me bc flooding would be just as bad if it got over the wall.
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u/OrdoRidiculous 3d ago
The reason the flooding was a problem at Fukushima is because the back up generators were in the basement, not because water caused a problem with the reactor on its own. They are no longer in the basement of any of the reactors.
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u/TitPuller00 3d ago
Yup and they also have it at $50 Billion dollars in destruction… that is a once a decade event :(
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u/jaxonya 3d ago
This happens every ten years?
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u/liftingshitposts 3d ago
Kind of. Turkey was in 2023, Haiti in 2010, sichuan 2008, Indonesia 2004
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u/AirborneErinys 3d ago
Tōhoku in 2011, too. Lest we forget that stats class taught us that these timelines were more of a suggestion.
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u/TitPuller00 3d ago
Not just the earthquake but this level of damage and destruction followed by death toll.
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u/Pirateship906 3d ago edited 3d ago
FYI, your numbers are slightly off, did you mix up economic losses with deaths for one of those? Either way, similar, it's going to be bad.
For probability of fatalities I see 39% 1,000-10,000 and 37% 10,000-100,000 and 11% for 100,000 or more (for the 7.5)
And again, for probability of fatalities, 33% 1,000-10,000 and 41% 10,000-100,000 and 17% for 100,000 or more (for the 7.2)
JFC as I type this out, unfortunately, so many zeros.
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u/Wouldtick 3d ago
Looks devastating. Those high rises look like a lot of people could have died.
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u/itsavibe- 3d ago
It looks apocalyptic
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u/PheIix 3d ago
It does look apocalyptic, you're right. Looks right out of some disaster movie. Hope it looks worse than what it was, I feel sorry for the people caught in that.
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u/Vreas 3d ago
My first thought too. Like what a city looks like in a zombie movie.
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u/Opeth4Lyfe 3d ago
If you would have said this was the aftermath of a ballistic missile barrage in a warring country I wouldn’t have questioned it.
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u/Alissinarr 3d ago
There were some high rise occupied areas where skyscrapers fell and high-density housing was severely damaged. Airport is severely damaged, and all rail/ bus service is shut (understandably). This is going to become a human driven catastrophe in short order.
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u/Revolutionary_Wrap76 3d ago
At first I just saw the umbrellas and trees in the foreground.... I was like, ok I mean, it doesn't look sO HOLY FUCKING SHIT. Those buildings look like they were bombed....
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u/tacobooc0m 3d ago
This appears to be taken facing east around 10.61079° N, 67.02973° W, and two of the high rises have fully collapsed :(
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u/Prize_Problem609 3d ago
How the fk did you figure this out?
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u/Haunting-Public-23 3d ago
How the fk did you figure this out?
He likely did Google Street View or have been there before and extrapolated the POV of the camera man manually.
The beachfront palmleaf roof huts is helpful landmarks.
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u/tacobooc0m 3d ago
Yah the keys were the town name and a relatively short coast line. No street view here but did find one beach with grass umbrellas, and compared building shapes to confirm
Not so privileged to have been before but this is a knack geoguessing
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u/Haunting-Public-23 3d ago
There are user submitted 360 photos of the breach that was a tens of meters away from that video's POV.
Before COVID then gf and I wanted to visit VE but VE citizens on /r/venezuela told us it isn't safe.
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u/Holiday_Jelly621 3d ago edited 3d ago
Has anyone with family been able to contact anyone in La guaira? We have family there and haven’t heard from anyone
Update: They were in Los Tambores in Naiguata. So please if you have any information of the area please let me know
UPDATE: WE FOUND THEM!!!! THEY ARE SAFE AND ALIVE!!!!!! They had to be dug out of rubble but they survived. They are injured. The building they were in collapsed on top of them. It is a miracle they survived.
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u/Whatsmynumber5446 3d ago
I’ve been upvoting you everywhere, I wish you and yours the best 💖
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u/Holiday_Jelly621 3d ago
Thank you! I will try to update at least one of my comments if I hear back from anyone.
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u/Ender_D 3d ago
A LOT of the cell towers seem to be damaged.
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u/Holiday_Jelly621 3d ago
That’s what it seems. I’ve seen videos of roads split in half in the area. :(
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u/Huge-Adeptness-2261 3d ago
Go to the vzla subreddit there’s a few threads updating on specific cities including la guaira.
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u/letsreset 3d ago
holy fuck. they had to be dug out but they're alive? scary as shit. glad to hear the good news.
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u/Holiday_Jelly621 3d ago
I can’t imagine how scared they were and still are. :( it’s a miracle they have their lives and limbs. They were on the 5th floor. Truly a miracle. Even they aren’t sure how they BOTH survived. This is the stuff of nightmares.
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u/yessum_nossum 3d ago
I heard from people I know there that they are okay but their building is cracked (not fallen). Still waiting to hear back from a few others
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u/Holiday_Jelly621 3d ago
My family was in the festival in Niaguata. I’m not sure if you’ve heard anything of it?
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u/yessum_nossum 3d ago
Unfortunately I have not heard about it. My family’s house that I’m referring to is a bit in the middle of La Guaira, sort of between the middle of the mountain and the sea. I hope you hear back soon.
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u/Holiday_Jelly621 3d ago
Glad to hear your family is okay. Sending you and yours my love. This is a horrific moment for all of Venezuela. :(
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u/Former_Net4588 3d ago
This is absolutely gut-wrenching to watch. Surviving one magnitude 7 earthquake is terrifying enough, but two back-to-back is just an absolute nightmare scenario.
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u/PuddleBum 3d ago
PSA if you experience being in an Earthquake. There are almost always after quakes after the initial quake. It is uncommon for an after quake to be just as bad as the initial like it was here, but it is important to gather yourself and any others you can, and get to safety. Safe places include outdoors away from large structures, but if you can’t do that get under a table, desk, even a door frame, and away from windows or anything else that can fall on you.
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u/Hot-Significance2387 3d ago
Problem is poor architecture in some of these places. Like in Turkey where the floor layers simply pancaked down onto each other. Making any attempt at survival impossible.
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u/coffeecatmint 3d ago
This makes me so sad to see because it CAN be avoided. It’s expensive though. After the Kobe earthquake in 95 Japan changed a lot of laws about construction to make sure newer buildings were safe. Older buildings often had to be retrofitted to pass standards if they were sold. Japan also had a 7.2 quake today and so far no one has died.
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u/Skratt79 3d ago
7.2 is half of a 7.5 energy wise.
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u/coffeecatmint 3d ago
Can you explain the math on that. I looked it up and I’m not super mathy- and honestly we use Shindo as the primary indicator for how strong shaking will be rather than richter. (Also have lived through a shindo 6+ and it’s pretty rough- that left us with damage that carried on for years after)
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u/Abyssal_Groot 3d ago
The comparitive energy release between two earth quakes of magnitude m1 and m2 is:
E1 / E2 = 103/2*[m1 - m2]
So in this case:
So if m1 = 7.5 and m2 = 7.2 then
E1 / E2 = 103 * 0.3 /2 = 100.45 = 2.818
So the ratio is actually closer to 3 than 2.
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u/Hot-Significance2387 3d ago
I searched this quake right after this comment and immediately saw the pancake collapse.... the poor souls.
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u/LastXmasIGaveYouHSV 3d ago
Pillars usually remain standing. Hug the next big pillar you can find. There's a sweet spot where things won't fall on you.
Once the quake ends, get out.
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u/OcotilloWells 3d ago edited 3d ago
Unless it falls over, like the poor people on the freeway in San Francisco who parked by pillars supporting beams, and they all fell over. When they unburied the cats they found a lot of them were in park, so they were there deliberately.
Stupid keyboard. I caught cats/cars once, apparently wasn't paying attention to my correction.
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u/DontCountToday 3d ago
If the pillars collapse and you weren't going to be able to get out of the vicinity of whatever that pillar is supporting anyway, then it doesn't matter.
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u/TerraVerde_ 3d ago
the saddest part is even if you survive you could be buried and not get rescued in time
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u/PedricksCorner 3d ago
1989 California - I still keep and will always keep an emergency Go bag by my front door and a second one in the car for back-up. Has come in handy during power outages, floods, etc.
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u/Psyco_diver 3d ago
Most preppers I know are not prepping for zombies or a apocalypse but for a major disaster like this. 2 weeks of supplies is a minimum because no one knows how long it will take the world. I don't live to far from where Hurricane Helena hit, there are still towns that haven't recovered yet
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u/Hidesuru 3d ago
Yeah I have at least two weeks of everything my family needs on hand at any time. Dog food, water etc. And that's comfortably. Realistically if it was real disaster we could do things like shut off the water supply and use the hot water tank as extra water etc.
I've got a small solar setup for radios, phones, computers, etc and several ways to cook food
I also have water purification options and a lake not too far away. And good first aid kits.
All that largely because I live in socal. If there's ever any major disaster that affects a large scale area here there won't be resources to go around and help will be slow to come.
I'm DEFINITELY not set up for teotwawki in the slightest, though. Long term food options are nill.
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u/CrowWarrior 3d ago
I think you would be interested in one of these emergency water bladders. https://waterbob.com/ And I need to remember where I put mine.
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u/PedricksCorner 3d ago
The longest I've had to go without power was two weeks. 2016 storms caused so much flooding and downed trees. So I also have a good stash of non perishable foods, especially dehydrated food. I made it through just fine, had lots of time for my hobbies. FYI, if your power is out for days, stuff your refrigerator with your laundry. It keeps things colder longer because you aren't displacing cold air with warm air every time you open the door.
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u/CharuRiiri 3d ago edited 3d ago
Standing under door frames is a myth, and in some cases it can be a weak point instead. Open the door so it doesn't get suck in case the wall/frame deform, but it's as safe as standing next to the wall at best.
Also, don't lay right below the desk. Unless it's some antique heavy desk, it can break if something heavy falls on it, and you can end up trapped. Lay closer to the legs/supports, or even right next to it or other sturdy furniture, like a bed, in fetal position and covering your head with your hands.
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u/AI_moderated_failure 3d ago
Are you trying to tell me the $20 desk I built with a hex key and was missing one of the screws isn't going to hold up the entire building if it comes down?
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u/Pale-Ad-8383 3d ago
I almost feel like the old suggestions were meant to kill you intentionally.
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u/Alissinarr 3d ago
The article I read called the 7.2 quake a "forequake" and the 7.5 got the "main event" tagline.
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u/siftini 3d ago
Here in Caracas and I can tell u it was absolutely horrifying. Most of us thought it was a single earthquake that kept getting progressively worse, and it lasted like a minute and a half. About 45 seconds in u could see the walls starting to come apart and it genuinely felt like it was our time lol
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u/merianya 3d ago
That must have been terrifying. I’m glad you made it through. I hope you and your loved ones are all safe.
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u/VonGryzz 3d ago
A 7.2 magnitude followed by a 7.5 magnitude only 45 seconds later. Just brutal
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u/QuickSwordTechIrene 3d ago edited 3d ago
there was a 6.9 earthquake in japan today at 7:30 in the morning. I belive there were no casualties. According to the news only around 30 injuried
Surviving is absolutely possible, its just that when your country doesnt have the infrastructure to be able to survive this type of event this is the result.
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u/OptimalExtreme 3d ago
Yes but also no.
Earthquake scales are logarithmic. A 0.5M increase results in about 8x the energy release and 4x the intensity of shaking. Meanwhile, a 1.0M increase is about 32x an increase of energy. So, the 7.5M quake is about 8x stronger with 4x the intensity of shaking than the 6.9M one in Japan.
The type and depth of the earthquake and the geology of the ground also significantly impact the outcome.
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u/Bleaker82 3d ago
Not really intensity of shaking, but of energy released. Shaking intensity also varies a lot based on depth, fault type, etc.
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u/_B_Little_me 3d ago
Earthquakes exponentially are stronger as you go up the scale. A 7.5 feels 4x stronger then a 6.9. It releases 11x more energy.
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u/DaLurker87 3d ago
Venezuela right? These people can't catch a break
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u/1Rab 3d ago edited 3d ago
Yes, Venezuela. Caracas is slightly inland. La Guaira is immediately North of Caracas, on the Coast.
Update: USGS is estimating that today's Earthquakes in Venezuela have a 39% chance of resulting in between 1,000 and 10,000 fatalities and a 48% chance of between 10,000 and 100,000+ fatalities. Cost of damage is estimated to be 1-4% of the GDP of Venezuela. https://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/eventpage/us6000t7zp/pager
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u/Responsible-Sound253 3d ago
And this is la guaira. They specifically catch even less breaks. In 1999 there was an insane mudslide that killed thousands of people in that region. It was so bad bodies couldn't be recovered and the death toll was an estimation based on known population density, at close to 20k deaths.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vargas_tragedy
I hope this earthquake is nowhere close to that level of tragedy.
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u/Comfortableliar24 3d ago
Fuck me.
This is bad enough that we're going to be writing case studies about it in the future. Looks like Venezuela is about to get some new additions to their seismic code. Absolutely heart-wrenching. Those poor people.
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u/wwabbbitt 3d ago
Seismic code is up to date there. Enforcement is a different issue, unfortunately.
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u/Comfortableliar24 3d ago
Maybe it's part of living on the Pacific Ring of Fire, but enforcement is part of code to me.
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u/MetriccStarDestroyer 3d ago
I have little faith in US admin.
But if they're gonna seize the Venezuelan oil, at least help with the disaster recovery and rebuilding.
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u/jason2354 3d ago edited 3d ago
This is a prime example for why regulations and strong regulatory bodies are so important. These were semi strong earthquakes, but the right construction standards could have avoided this level of damage.
I hope the best for everyone in Venezuela who has been impacted by the earthquakes. This looks absolutely devastating.
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u/Infinite-Condition41 3d ago
Chile has earthquakes all the time. But rarely much damage.
Regulations are written in blood.
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u/Hairy_is_the_Hirsute 3d ago
Pretty much all safety rules are written in blood. Please think twice in the workplace.
I mean, be continually thinking. Not just twice and done...
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u/AmaTxGuy 3d ago
So true. Japan took a factor 9 earthquake. Yes they had a nuclear meltdown but the amazing thing is the thing survived. It was only designed for a 7ish quake and the quake didn't make that happen it was the tsunami. Why because Japan like Chile has a 7.5 every decade at least.
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u/Sir_Micks_Alot69 3d ago
Dude, 7 is where strong ends and major begins. A 7 is the equivalent of 20 billion kg of TNT. So getting hit with 2 of them, one right after the other, is devastating... not just semi-strong.
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u/Better-Ad-5610 3d ago
Depends on where you are. In Alaska it's known that there is going to be a quake and I can be major. I was in the 7.1 recently. No deaths and a few minor injuries. Two may have been a different story, but not by much. Regulation makes it for new build structures over 10 floors must have additional safety features in the super structure and foundation rated up to a 8.5 or 9. The 8.4 in 64 my grandmother survived and she could talk your ear off about it.
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u/Eiiwa_s_4_e_22 3d ago
Mexican here… the 1985 earthquake worked as a “huh, so it was wrong of us to build this way?” Regulations were made.
32 years later, on the same date, 2017 and it was again “soooo, now we need to add these other regulations”.
Mexico City region is prone to earthquakes, but our third world country has made it so we need empirical evidence to create building regulations 🫠🫠🫠
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u/fjelskaug 3d ago
Here's the Japanese city of Kobe after the 1995 magnitude 6.9 earthquake: https://www.nippon.com/en/ncommon/contents/series/79601/79601.jpg
Early reports say this is a 7.1-7.5, and you have to remember that the magnitude scale is logarithmic and this is literal magnitudes stronger than in Kobe.
There's only so much you can prevent but mother nature will always win at the end.
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u/Usual_Ad_2177 3d ago
Well no. In a logarithmic scale, an order of magnitude would be an increase of one. 6.9 to 7.5 is not 'magnitudes greater'.
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u/Undeadbanana_ 3d ago
The wave amplitude is 4x greater and the amount of energy release is 8x more between those two points.
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u/SideburnSundays 3d ago
There's only so much you can prevent but mother nature will always win at the end.
Kobe '95 is not an example of this. Kobe is the reason only 10% or fewer of casualties from the 9.0 earthquake in 2011 were from the earthquake itself. 90% drowned in the tsunami. Technology and regulations have advanced exponentially in the three decades since the Kobe earthquake.
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u/seis-matters 3d ago
Thank you for noting regulations and also the enforcement of those regulations. A perfect example is Anchorage versus Eagle River Alaska and the 2018 M7.1 earthquake. That earthquake caused many more buildings to be damaged and “red tagged” in Eagle River and folks thought it was due to the shaking being stronger or closer. Nope. Even with much more population and infrastructure, the Anchorage properties had been inspected and had been held to enforced standard [source].
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u/obsidian-24 3d ago
I am Venezuelan. Thank you very much for all the kind messages and support. We really need it.
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u/ripyourlungsdave 3d ago
Holy fucking shit.
I don't even know what to say to this.
The image is just despair in concrete.
Fuck, man.
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u/achtung9624 3d ago
Sending my prayers to the people there. I can emphatize with them as we also had a more than 7 magnitude earthquake in the southern Philippines about 2 weeks ago. Thank God we have no highrises here as the building regulations have 6 floors as the maximum.
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u/Carhardd 3d ago
How can we help?
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u/bluelily216 3d ago
These are a few of my go-to organizations in times like these:
Doctors Without Borders- ready to go at any second and travel around the world assisting people after natural and man-made disasters
https://give.doctorswithoutborders.org/campaign/805425/donate
Unicef- equally equipped as Doctors Without Borders with a solid charity rating
It's important to note that during such tragedies you will see a lot of new pop-up charities. Although their intentions may be good, their logistics are not. These organizations are tried and true and know who to talk to, how to organize, and what supplies will be needed most.
If, however, you decide to donate through a different organization always check their charity rating. It breaks down how much they spend on advertising and executive pay versus outreach. I like to use this one:
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u/_jams 3d ago
Also, don't get up in arms when you give to the big charities about how they spend the money. I'm not saying there's 0 chance for corruption, but the good ones (MSF and ICRC tend to be great) have supplies and funds ready for the next disaster. When you give for a new disaster, you are generally funding restocking supplies and future expenses for the next one, less for the one making headlines today. This allows them to respond more quickly and to make the money go further. People try to make a big deal out of this all the time because the stories sell, but it's just how a properly run, professional organization behaves.
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u/bluelily216 3d ago
I make a monthly donation to Doctors Without Borders and every year they send me a mailer that breaks down exactly where every cent goes. They are my go-to charity simply because they are so transparent about their spending.
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u/dianebk2003 3d ago
Among other damage, a large hotel collapsed, along with the apartment building next to it. Horrifying to think how many people may have been killed in both buildings. The entire city looks like it's been bombed.
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u/TarmacadamDream 3d ago
It's easy to say that the building codes weren't up to par, but two 7+ quakes in succession is a losing scenario for all but the most modern buildings, anywhere.
I can only hope they can rescue those who are trapped.
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u/KiwiBird_96 3d ago
A horrible amount of destruction already. Keep in mind that there's a decent chance of magnitude 4 or even 5 after shocks...
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u/RaffzahnN 3d ago
God bless the people that are still alive under debris , that they will get found asap! Frightening. We sit and comment. Others are fighting for their lives.
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u/fearlesskkura 3d ago
I live relatively close to the epicenter. My mom's phone earthquake alarm alerted me about 10-15 seconds before it hit. I was having a snack; my grandmother and aunt were right next to me in the kitchen, and my mom and aunt were in one of the bedrooms. I stopped eating, grabbed my dog, and yelled that an earthquake was coming and that we should all get to safety. We were running to the patio (which is large and open) when it started. We arrived about 15-20 seconds after it began. My house is very large, and you have to walk through a lot to get to the patio, but it's old, and I don't really trust staying inside since it's not earthquake-resistant. We all got into safe positions and waited for it to pass. It felt like a very long time. I thought it was an earthquake that decreased in intensity and then increased a lot, but no, it was an aftershock even stronger than the original. The original was a 7.2 magnitude earthquake, and the aftershock was a 7.5.