HTH -- Haiti Earthquake

September 6, 2012. Strong earthquake strikes off Costa Rica's coast, tsunami alert in effect

SOURCE: Kroll

A powerful, magnitude-7.6 earthquake struck off the western coast of Costa Rica on September 5th, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. There were no immediate accounts of injuries, but there were reports of rattling in buildings and power cuts in some areas of San Jose. The quake struck offshore, about 80km (50 miles) from the town of Liberia, and triggered tsunami warnings up and down the rim of Central and South America, including Nicaragua and Panama. The quake struck 40km (25 miles) below the surface, making the effect less damaging. The quake was followed by three strong aftershocks of magnitudes above four on the Richter scale.

Costa Rica suffered very little damage, reports confirmed on September 6th, including few blocked highways, some collapsed houses, and one death due to a heart attack, reportedly caused by fright. The relatively little damage was due in large part to strict building codes in Costa Rica, where anti-earthquake structural codes have been updated in line with the latest international standards three times since they were enacted in 1974, most recently last year. In the last four decades, the region has been rocked by 30 earthquakes of magnitude-6 and larger.