The Portuguese mainland has been hit by its biggest earthquake in 55 years

The seismic shock that left thousands of people in mainland Portugal jumping out of bed early Monday morning, feeling everything around them shake, lasted only five to ten seconds. The quake was recorded at 5:11 a.m., at a depth of 25 kilometers, had an average magnitude of 5.3 on the Richter scale, and had an epicentre 58 kilometers west of Sines – 90 kilometers from Lisbon – and was felt quite intensely, since it occurred at an average depth.

You have to go back to the early hours of February 28, 1969 – 55 years ago – to find another earthquake that was felt with particular force across the continent. It measured 7.9 on the Richter scale, killed 13 people, two of whom were considered direct victims of the quake, and caused significant damage, such as in Bensafrim, Lagos, where 20 houses were damaged and eventually collapsed. The entire windward Algar

The route was affected as the epicentre was located 200 kilometres southwest of Sagres.

This time there were no casualties or damage, but it was felt “quite strongly in Lisbon” because “it was not a very deep earthquake,” said Professor Pedro Terrinha, head of a department at the Portuguese Institute of the Sea and Atmosphere (IPMA).

If an earthquake had happened “near Lisbon” and had the same strength, “some vases or chimneys would probably have fallen,” he told reporters. CM Jorge Cruz of IPMA’s Geophysics Department explains that “what matters is the amplitude (the energy released) rather than the duration” of an earthquake, and that usually “the duration is shorter in areas further from the epicentre”, which is a result of the “wave” in question.

Jorge Cruz was one of those who woke up to the shaking of the earth and immediately realized that the consequences “wouldn’t matter much,” which is what happened.

In the following two hours, four echoes were recorded – 1.2, 1.1, 0.9 and 1.0. All of them are of “low magnitude” and “none of them” were “felt by the population”, IPMA said in a statement, adding that Monday’s earthquake registered “maximum intensity in the Sines region” and “lower intensity in the Setúbal region and Lisbon”, but that almost all over the continental territory there were people who said they felt the ground shaking.

It was “a real test of our ability to respond to a disaster.”

The earthquake was a “real test of our ability to respond to a disaster” and allowed us to understand “whether the resources are ready,” said Paulo Rangel, Minister of State and Foreign Affairs, who will take over the role of Prime Minister during Luis Montenegro’s vacation, on Monday. The government official gave a “very positive assessment of the response capabilities, the preparedness to respond and the way information is disseminated.”

The President of the Republic, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, said the authorities’ ability to respond was “very fast” and the coordination between the government and civil protection services was “very good”. Although he believed that “what was supposed to work” had worked, he said “lessons need to be learned for the future” regarding the Civil Protection’s ability to communicate with the population. And he called for a discussion on seismic protection in “the construction of large public works”.

DETAILS
engineers
The Order of Engineers called on Monday for higher quality standards for construction in Portugal, given the “various vulnerabilities” of buildings.

insurance companies
Only 19 percent of homes currently have insurance covering seismic risk, the Portuguese Insurers Association said on Monday.

reinforcement
Lisbon Mayor Carlos Moedas said Monday that municipal buildings are being assessed over a two-year period and ten percent “need anti-seismic reinforcement.”

application
The Lisbon City Council will launch an app this week that will allow citizens to get information about the seismic risk of their homes. Monday’s earthquake has precipitated the launch of LxReSist.

ready
Seismologist Susana Custodio said Monday that “in our territory we must be prepared for a stronger earthquake. Without panicking, this is a good opportunity to remember that.

AND ALSO

NO CRITERIA
The earthquake “did not meet the criteria to activate the existing special plans for events of this type. Plans are only activated from 6.1 onwards, and this was 5.3,” explained Commander Andre Fernandez, adding that “there was no concern” about a tsunami and “there is only a warning for a tsunami of intensity 6.0.”