Yesterday Mexico experienced a 7.4 earthquake (originally reported as 7.9). Luckily, unlike the 1985 quake, there were zero fatalities and the new reported 'minimal damage'. On a local level there is no such thing as minimal and as you see by the report below, although nothing serious many areas were affected. The March 22 Damage Report was compiled by Alfonso Maldonado of Architecture for Humanity Mexico City.
Oaxaca
The governor of Oaxaca reports 420 collapsed houses and 2100 with structural damage. They are distributed along 17 municipalities in the coastal region of Oaxaca near Guerrero.
There are 9 injured in the state, one in critical condition.
23 schools report damages, here are the available details:
15 damaged schools in Pinotepa Nacional, but there are no reports about the extent and nature of the damage.
At the municipality of Putla de Guerrero the elementary school "Benito Juaez" lost an adobe wall that damaged its auditorium; the elementary school "Emiliano Zapata" lost a wall.
The Jr High School of the municipality of San Martin Itunyoso lost its perimeter wall.
In the city of Oaxaca the elementary schools "Presidente Aleman" "20 de noviembre" and the kinder garden "20 de noviembre" report damages but without specifying the nature or extent.
At the elementary school "21 de agosto" in the same city of Oaxaca the columns where affected and children are taking classes at the school patio.
However the education authority in the state consider most damages as minor and states that classes won't be suspended.
Water Management Company of the city of Oaxaca had their headquarters in downtown Oaxaca damaged.
The most affected municipality in Oaxaca is Pinotepa Nacional, due to its closeness to the epicenter. 61 houses where affected there. The third floor of a university in Pinotepa collapsed.
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Guerrero
30,000 houses are reported as damaged with 800 collapsed distributed on 28 municipalities.
The most affected municipalities where Ometepec (the place of the epicenter), Cuajinicuilapa, Igualapa, Xochistlahuaca, Tlacoachistlahuaca and Azoyú.
20 schools are reported as damaged in the municipalities of Ometepec, Igualapa, Cuijinicuilapa y Xochistlahuaca with classes suspended until further notice.
The hospitals of Ometepec and Xochistlahuaca where damaged, specially the second one.
The governor declared that most of the collapsed dwellings where very poor houses made of adobe. The governor announced a plan to rebuild 1000 houses. The navy is already assisting at the area of Ometepec and Huixtepec where damages are reported.
150 schools are closed in Azoyú, Ometepec, Cuajinicuilapa, Tlacoachistlahuaca and Xochistlahuaca the 5 municipalities closest to the epicenter.
The tower of the cathedral of the city of Chilpancingo (the state capital) which was damaged on a previous earthquake on December 10th received additional damage. The National Institute of Antropology and History is evaluating the future of the structure (rehabilitation or
demolition). The church was the place of the first national congress during independence and part of the first constitution was drafted there. Both towers and part of the vault are severely damaged with metalic structures keeping them on place.
The inhabitants of Ometepec, particularly from the communities of Huixtepec and Huajintepec call for help. With a predominant indigenous population they report 400 collapsed houses. There are reports of strange aftershocks every 30 minutes in the area. The army is already in the area helping people recover their belongings from the fallen houses.
Here is a collection of images
and a video
Huixtepec and Huajintepec are reported in the available media
information as the most affected places in the country.
The first medical brigades arrived today to the site.
More images from all the country
http://fotos.eluniversal.com.mx/coleccion/muestra_fotogaleria.html?idgal...
Mexico City
In Mexico City damages where very limited and with no deaths to report and only two injured.
Regarding main infrastructure a small part of a subway line and a vehicular bridge that crosses above it was damaged. The bridge is currently under repair and the reparations for the subway line are already complete (images).
A slab from a pedestrian bridge in the northern borough of Azcapotzalco collapsed and fell on top of a bus which was empty (only the driver was on board) and no injuries where reported. Here is an article to that event repairs are already underway and the bridge is out of risk of collapse.
The perimeter walls of an elementary school in Ecatepec collapsed and another one in a kinder garden in the same area was damaged. http://www.eluniversaledomex.mx/home/nota28311.html
A jr high school in Atizapan had structural damages in two classrooms and administration offices, the name of the school is Escuela Secundaria 150
78 schools in the southern borough of Iztapalapa report damages, mainly superficial cracks and non of them are structural.
In the central borough of Cuauhtemoc (where downtown is) there are only reports of damaged facades and broken glasses, one of them was this apartments building in Condesa
http://www.eluniversaldf.mx/cuauhtemoc/nota43713.html
The Ginecology No3 building of the Magdalena de las Salinas Hospital was damaged and evacuated and its been checked for structural damage.
The city government reports 10 private and public buildings are subject to a thorough inspection with fears of mayor structural damage that will be determined in a the next few days.
Workers of a tribunals building protested today fearing damages at their workplace, the building is now under inspection.
There have been 40+ 4° richter or more aftershocks so far with no additional damages or injuries reported.
Broken glasses at mexico city's international airport terminal 2
Damages in infrastructure, which are consider minor, sum up 45 million pesos, which are covered through insurance.
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Special thanks from members of the Mexico City and Monterrey Chapter for additional reporting.
Main image of quake hit home in Guerrero by EL UNIVERSAL
