# Earthquake!!!



## gus-lopez (Jan 4, 2010)

http://www.ign.es/ign/layoutIn/sismoUltimoTerremoto.do#

They're giving it as 1,7 although there were two readings at 3,2 & 3,6. It must have been extremely close to the surface because the wife & I thought that the house was going to fall down. I could see the walls move.


----------



## Alcalaina (Aug 6, 2010)

El Pais has the second one as 5.2 and at least one death. Scary!

Al menos un muerto en un terremoto de 5,2 en Lorca · ELPAÍS.com


----------



## MacRov (Oct 26, 2010)

BBC are seaying 5.3 and 4 dead, scary stuff
BBC News - Deadly earthquake rocks Lorca in southern Spain


----------



## gus-lopez (Jan 4, 2010)

The 1st was bad enough the 2nd, 3x the 1st was unbelievable. I'd just gone outside when it started & could barely keep my feet . The house was moving one way & all the cables etc, the other. They are evacuating the hospital at the moment. It's live on La1.
What's concerning me is the 1st at 3, 50 pm was 1,7 & the 2nd was 3x the 1st at 5,1. Is there going to be another later on & will it be bigger ?


----------



## xabiaxica (Jun 23, 2009)

gus-lopez said:


> The 1st was bad enough the 2nd, 3x the 1st was unbelievable. I'd just gone outside when it started & could barely keep my feet . The house was moving one way & all the cables etc, the other. They are evacuating the hospital at the moment. It's live on La1.
> What's concerning me is the 1st at 3, 50 pm was 1,7 & the 2nd was 3x the 1st at 5,1. Is there going to be another later on & will it be bigger ?


seriously scary!!

glad you're OK - & hope the house is too


----------



## gus-lopez (Jan 4, 2010)

xabiachica said:


> seriously scary!!
> 
> glad you're OK - & hope the house is too


Thanks . Yes the house is ok at the moment ,there's a few cracks on the fachada & more on an outside nave . My wife is debating whether she'll be able to sleep tonight & if so where she's going to sleep !


----------



## Alcalaina (Aug 6, 2010)

gus-lopez said:


> Thanks . Yes the house is ok at the moment ,there's a few cracks on the fachada & more on an outside nave . My wife is debating whether she'll be able to sleep tonight & if so where she's going to sleep !


Just seen TV news and there are 7 confirmed dead, with buildings falling onto cars. I'm sure you´ll be much safer in the campo but I don´t think you´ll be getting much sleep tonight! Fingers crossed there won't be any more replicas.


----------



## gus-lopez (Jan 4, 2010)

Just had another tremor as I was typing on another site. Wife ran over me getting out.

P.s. 10 dead up to now.


----------



## Mame (Aug 8, 2008)

Glad you are both okay.


----------



## bob_bob (Jan 5, 2011)

FFS keep safe folks.


----------



## brocher (Mar 21, 2011)

Lot of coverage on BBC now. 

Thoughts with all involved.


----------



## EdwinV (Jan 30, 2011)

I'm in Cartagena at the moment and I felt the second one in my hotel room


----------



## Pesky Wesky (May 10, 2009)

Unbelievable!
Hope you're doing OK Gus!


----------



## gus-lopez (Jan 4, 2010)

Pesky Wesky said:


> Unbelievable!
> Hope you're doing OK Gus!


Ok at the moment . Had another tremor about20 mins ago.


----------



## gus-lopez (Jan 4, 2010)

Apparently one of the tunnels on the AP-7 autovia underneath Lorca castle ,going towards Andalucia has collapsed .


----------



## jimenato (Nov 21, 2009)

That is scary. Stay safe Gus.


----------



## mayotom (Nov 8, 2008)

gus-lopez said:


> Apparently one of the tunnels on the AP-7 autovia underneath Lorca castle ,going towards Andalucia has collapsed .


hope things are settling down over there..


----------



## DunWorkin (Sep 2, 2010)

We are on holiday in UK at the moment and have just read the news.

Our thoughts and prayers are with you Gus and everyone else in the affected area.


----------



## Ettylou (Apr 22, 2011)

What time yesterday did it happen?? Can't get in contact with mum & dad but spoke to them last night. They are in San Bartolome so not even sure if they'd have felt it? Ta xx


----------



## xabiaxica (Jun 23, 2009)

Ettylou said:


> What time yesterday did it happen?? Can't get in contact with mum & dad but spoke to them last night. They are in San Bartolome so not even sure if they'd have felt it? Ta xx


just after 5pm here


----------



## Veronica (Apr 5, 2008)

It must be very scary
Stay safe everyone.


----------



## nigele2 (Dec 25, 2009)

My SIL and niece in Torrejon (just east of Madrid - half a country away) had shaking lights and ornaments. Amazing range these things have.

Fingers crossed for all those down there.


----------



## aykalam (Apr 12, 2010)

Our thoughts are with all the victims and their families. Stay safe guys!


----------



## gus-lopez (Jan 4, 2010)

I've just come back in & can confirm that the tunnel going to Andalucia is shut as parts have collapsed inside. There's two way traffic through the Murcia bound shorter tunnel. The road is closed into Lorca if you come off of J-591 before the tunnels & want to turn left at the fountain roundabout.
Most available open spaces are filled with vehicles & people & they are setting up camps in the car park of the new commercial centre, 'Parque Almenara' & the Huerta de la Rueda where the thursday market normally is. You also can't access the town from Lorca norte or este as all traffic is being sent around the southern bypass .

The parador that they have built on the eastern end of the castle is more or less complete & they are working on the restoration of the eastern tower, El Torre Alfonsina. All of the casas de campo around me that are raely used apart from week-ends & fiestas are now full to overflowing with friends & relatives that have been displaced in the town.


----------



## Caz.I (Mar 21, 2009)

gus-lopez said:


> I've just come back in & can confirm that the tunnel going to Andalucia is shut as parts have collapsed inside. There's two way traffic through the Murcia bound shorter tunnel. The road is closed into Lorca if you come off of J-591 before the tunnels & want to turn left at the fountain roundabout.
> Most available open spaces are filled with vehicles & people & they are setting up camps in the car park of the new commercial centre, 'Parque Almenara' & the Huerta de la Rueda where the thursday market normally is. You also can't access the town from Lorca norte or este as all traffic is being sent around the southern bypass .
> 
> The parador that they have built on the eastern end of the castle is more or less complete & they are working on the restoration of the eastern tower, El Torre Alfonsina. All of the casas de campo around me that are raely used apart from week-ends & fiestas are now full to overflowing with friends & relatives that have been displaced in the town.


I cant imagine how terrifying it must have been to experience an earthquake like that. I saw some of the videos on the news and it looked awful. I hope no one was hurt in the tunnel. I heard a couple of pregnant women were also killed in the town. So sad. Just hope things calm down as soon as possible there.


----------



## awarbel (May 6, 2011)

Stay safe! My thoughts are with everyone in Lorca.


----------



## baldilocks (Mar 7, 2010)

According to the Instituto there have been 27 quakes or tremors of varying magnitudes around Lorca between 15.05 GMT yesterday and 05.31 GMT today.


----------



## Alcalaina (Aug 6, 2010)

There are hundreds of quakes in Spain every year apparently - mostly in Andalucia.

What happens to those poor people who lost their homes? Do house insurance companies pay up or is it regarded as an "Act of God"?


----------



## anski (Aug 17, 2008)

*Earthquake in Lorca South East Spain*

Spain takes heavy toll for moderate quake - Yahoo!7

Unfortunately 9 people lost their lives today.

My sincere condolences to their families or anyone on the forum that has been effected by this earth quake,

Anski


----------



## macdonner (Oct 24, 2010)

Thoughts with everyone in Lorca and stay safe XX:hug:


----------



## gus-lopez (Jan 4, 2010)

Alcalaina said:


> There are hundreds of quakes in Spain every year apparently - mostly in Andalucia.
> 
> What happens to those poor people who lost their homes? Do house insurance companies pay up or is it regarded as an "Act of God"?


Not 100% sure but I think zappy said this a.m. that the government foot the bill for rebuilding as long as you had fire insurance . What that's got to do with it I don't know .


----------



## Ettylou (Apr 22, 2011)

xabiachica said:


> just after 5pm here


Thanks. Finally got in contact with them & even though they're only about an hr or so away they didn't feel it! x


----------



## littleredrooster (Aug 3, 2008)

I notice that 80% of the properties have suffered at least some damage.
Many ppl are living rough in camping accomodation understandably waiting anxiously to see what future they may have in their homes.
However all things considered, I would not be surprisef if quite a few decide to move to a lower risk area given the opportunity.
It's easy to say it may never happen again in the next hundred years or so, but if I'd experienced it myself I think I'd be very anxious to say the very least about staying on there and feeling 100% safe and secure again.....and after all there are a million or so empty new properties just waiting to be occupied throughout Spain


----------



## anski (Aug 17, 2008)

Apologies if this has already been posted



Spain Earthquake 2011 [PHOTOS]


----------



## gus-lopez (Jan 4, 2010)

Been in & around town today & it's not looking good at all. There was really nothing open whatsoever as they are still inspecting all the buildings.
The Architects & Surveyors have a colour coding scheme for damage;
Green – No danger to occupy
Yellow – The owners can enter to collect their valuables etc, but they may not stay as important building work is needed, or the property may be demolished
Black, or in some cases Red – No entry at all because of the danger of immediate collapse.

Nearly 6 out of 10 buildings so far inspected all over town are yellow ,red or black. There's not many green at all.

For those of you who have visited Lorca & entered by coming off the autovia at j591 down to the fountain roundabout & turned left into the western end of town ( La Viña ), vast areas around here are to be demolished, including 2 out of the 4 apartment blocks on the left & possibly a 3rd. The opposite side of the road fares slightly better but behind is where the 3 story block collapsed ( they'll be looking at the construction of this as it wasn't that old ! ) The situation is no better at the eastern end of town with many buildings marked for demolition. Of the 3 mercadonas in town none are open ( The one in La Viña is quite likely to be demolished ), the old Eroski centro comercial San Diego is closed although the car park is being used for parking & the road by the main exit , has an emergency field hospital in it. The majority of the main street is closed off . The only supermarket, apart from some smaller ones that is open is the Eroski Parque Almenara ! Where I live in Campillo , quite close to the Parque Almenara, the small village supermarket had people queuing this morning !
The Huerta de la Rueda where the thursday market is held is an emergency centre combined with rescue workers tents & accomodation & emergency food & water supplies. There's quite a few around here that are likely to be demolished , including the Convento de religiosas Clarissas which is a building of historical importance & will obviously be rebuilt as it's a listed building .

No matter where you turned there were people taking what belongings they could carry from their apartments, those that were considered safe to enter, & loading them in cars & vans. Others could only look at buildings that are in imminent danger of collapse & no one is going to be allowed to enter & will be demolished along with everything inside.
In all honesty the amount of fachadas cracked, broken , some barely hanging on to buildings in every street you looked down , makes you wonder how they are allowing anyone to be in the town at all. We helped people carrying stuff to their car but they couldn't take everything& what's left they were hoping to be allowed back for.

The scale of the damage I found was far more than I was expecting , & there's not a part of the town that does not have vast amounts of buildings marked for demolition. If this had occurred in the UK I don't think they would be allowing anyone into the whole of the town , due to H&S, it's that bad . This is going to take many, many years to sort out.


----------



## littleredrooster (Aug 3, 2008)

Sounds pretty bad.
Whilst its understandable for folk to hang around and see whats happened to their homes and belongings, to be hoped the authorities will see fit to move those who prefer to leave asap, to some of the large number of presently unoccupied properties in undamaged areas, rather than having to continue enduring their present somewhat uncomfortable and uncivilised living conditions.


----------



## JoCatalunya (Mar 16, 2011)

I'm glad to hear you and your good lady are safe and sound there Gus. Whilst my experiences of earthquakes are barely comparible to yours I know how shocking they are when they hit. I have felt them a couple of times in the Middle East and once here in Catalunya, the scary thing is I am on top of a mountain. The one here was so small it didnt hit the news channels and barely got a mention in the papers but the locals debated it for days and days. 

I feel so sorry for those affected and especially for the people who couldn't afford insurance and now are in the position of having lost their homes and possesions with no way of replacing at least the bricks and mortar.


----------



## jojo (Sep 20, 2007)

GUS!! I'm sooooo sorry. I've been hearing about it and getting the odd look on here! I'm glad at least you're ok. Keep us posted with it all. It'll be interesting to know how they sort it out and get things back to normal

Jo xxx


----------



## gus-lopez (Jan 4, 2010)

jojo said:


> GUS!! I'm sooooo sorry. I've been hearing about it and getting the odd look on here! I'm glad at least you're ok. Keep us posted with it all. It'll be interesting to know how they sort it out and get things back to normal
> 
> Jo xxx


good to see you back on line .:clap2:


----------



## Pesky Wesky (May 10, 2009)

Gus,
Thanks for giving us updates here.
I've just been watching the news and it does look bad, doesn't it?

Bits and pieces that I've picked up...
The mayor has said that they'll need 1,600 new dwellings to house the people whose homes have been destroyed.
There are 9 schools that wont open again until the new year begins 2011 - 2012 and that includes 3 secondary schools I think it was.
There are nearly 20,000 immigrants in Lorca including a large number of Ecuadorians. Many of the immigrants are receiving help from their governments.

If you know of anything schemes like sending toys for the children or clothes etc, would you post the details on here, please?


----------



## gus-lopez (Jan 4, 2010)

Pesky Wesky said:


> Gus,
> Thanks for giving us updates here.
> I've just been watching the news and it does look bad, doesn't it?
> 
> ...


Will do.


----------



## Pesky Wesky (May 10, 2009)

gus-lopez said:


> Will do.


Almost 6 out of 10 houses are habitable.
That makes an awful lot that are not...


----------



## owdoggy (Jul 23, 2008)

Pesky Wesky said:


> Gus,
> 
> If you know of anything schemes like sending toys for the children or clothes etc, would you post the details on here, please?


Check with your ayuntamiento. There's quite a few around here that are collection points for non monetary aid....... and if they're not doing it then maybe a polite dig could get things moving.



Doggy


----------



## Pesky Wesky (May 10, 2009)

MRW FOR LORCA

MRW is a transport firm with offices all over Spain. They have set up a campaign to collect blankets and non perishable food for the people affected by the earthquake. Look for your nearest office here
MRW compañía líder en transporte urgente de paquetería en envíos nacionales e internacionales, desde Andorra, España, Gibraltar, Portugal y Venezuela

To tell the truth I'm not 100% convinced that they this is what they need, (I would have thought that everyone who needs a blanket has one by now for example) but no doubt it will all go to good use.

“MRW POR LORCA”
Campaña de recogida de mantas individuales y alimentos no 
perecederos para los damnificados de Lorca
Barcelona, 13 de mayo de 2011. MRW ha iniciado esta mañana la Campaña solidaria 
“MRW por Lorca” cuyo objetivo es la recogida urgente de mantas individuales y alimentos 
no perecederos para los habitantes de Lorca afectados por el terremoto. 
La Red de Transporte Urgente pone a disposición de los ciudadanos todas sus franquicias 
en España como puntos de recepción de las donaciones. MRW centralizará todo el material
en su Plataforma de Murcia y, desde allí, lo hará llegar a Cáritas, que se encargará de su 
clasificación y posterior distribución entre los habitante de Lorca que lo necesiten. 
Todas aquellas personas que quieran hacer una donación y quieran saber cuál es la 
franquicia MRW más cercana a su domicilio, pueden llamar al teléfono 902 300 400, 
consultar la web MRW compañía líder en transporte urgente de paquetería en envíos nacionales e internacionales, desde Andorra, España, Gibraltar, Portugal y Venezuela, o seguir los canales oficiales de la marca en Facebook 
MRW España | Facebook y Twitter twitter.com/mrw_es


----------



## gus-lopez (Jan 4, 2010)

Pesky Wesky said:


> MRW FOR LORCA
> 
> MRW is a transport firm with offices all over Spain. They have set up a campaign to collect blankets and non perishable food for the people affected by the earthquake. Look for your nearest office here
> MRW compañía líder en transporte urgente de paquetería en envíos nacionales e internacionales, desde Andorra, España, Gibraltar, Portugal y Venezuela
> ...


Actually they do. The good people of Owdoggys area, Albox, Arboleas & surrounding areas donated large amounts of things which were brought up to Lorca this afternoon & I met with them to guide them to the Cruz Roja people ( the access changes by the hour , due to the need to close roads to clear dangerous hanging masonry ) .

We asked if there was anything they were particulary in need of, clothing of all sorts, towels and blankets and they especially asked for personal hygene products, soap, toothpaste and toothbrushes, wet wipes that sort of thing. Also babies feeding bottles and teets for some reason, I asked about baby milk but they are OK for that. But they also asked for drinks, bottled water and any other drinks (not alcohol!!),

The problem with the water & drinks side , which I thought there would not be a shortage of , is that every supermarket in town is shut due to damage or damage to adjoining buildings , danger etc, preventing them opening. 
The only large supermarket that is open is an eroski which is close to me & outside of the town .
There is no Barrio in the town that does not have damage. The damage is spread over an area approximately 5kms x 4km. It is a disaster zone in reality.


----------



## Pesky Wesky (May 10, 2009)

gus-lopez said:


> Actually they do. The good people of Owdoggys area, Albox, Arboleas & surrounding areas donated large amounts of things which were brought up to Lorca this afternoon & I met with them to guide them to the Cruz Roja people ( the access changes by the hour , due to the need to close roads to clear dangerous hanging masonry ) .
> 
> We asked if there was anything they were particulary in need of, clothing of all sorts, towels and blankets and they especially asked for personal hygene products, soap, toothpaste and toothbrushes, wet wipes that sort of thing. Also babies feeding bottles and teets for some reason, I asked about baby milk but they are OK for that. But they also asked for drinks, bottled water and any other drinks (not alcohol!!),
> 
> ...


Well, it's good to know that MRW have got it right (although I still don't understand it. Blankets and water are the first things given out. The water gets drunk, but the blankets aren't throwaway, are they?)
The teets for the bottles are probably because they can't get sterilized easily so they probably throw them away after one use, if they can.


----------



## Pesky Wesky (May 10, 2009)

Gus, I was wondering what the situation is like in Lorca now?


----------



## gus-lopez (Jan 4, 2010)

Pesky Wesky said:


> Gus, I was wondering what the situation is like in Lorca now?


It's still not very good. There is a semblance of normality but that's about all ! They are still demolishing apartment blocks ( averaging 1 million euros a time !!  ) There's still at least one more to go before the trains to Águilas can be re-started. 
I had to go in to a shop in the worst affected area last friday & was amazed at the amount of apartment blocks that have been demolished , & the amount that are still to come down. there's even one area with about 8 apartment blocks which are deemed 'repairable ' & are each being supported by 2,500 acro -props . Apparently, they've used in excess of 200,000 acro's so far. 
There's still not a government building in town that is usable, the mayor was sworn in last sunday out in the Plaza de España , none are deemed safe. There's not a church in the whole city that doesn't require muti-million euro repairs & the word going around is that next years Semana Santa will be cancelled due to the problems .
There are still quite a few people to be re-housed & the various emergency services , although scaled down, are still here. Having now been in most areas of town the scale of the damage is enormous & affects all areas. It will take many years to re-build & the cost has now been estimated to be in excess of 700 million euros.
Some things can be accomplished quickly in Spain. Mercadona , who have a supermercado due to be demolished, have lost no time in obtaining land around the corner, planning permission & have ,in two weeks , cleared the site , footings, steel fixing , concreted & are now up to 1st floor level. They are working so fast & with so many people that they'll be open soon ! I don't suppose that the apartment blocks will be re -constructed at that rate ! 
Many business's , banks & some other regions have offered to foot the bills for the restoration of most of the churches .
I'm in their for some x-rays on my shoulder this morning , so we'll probably have a good look around after.


----------

