In a message posted on the social network Twitter, António Costa recalls that today “25 years have passed since the seismic crisis that mainly shook the islands of Faial and Pico, causing victims, thousands of homeless and destruction of infrastructure”.

“I pay tribute to the people of Faial and Pico and to the efficiency of the public authorities who carried out an exemplary reconstruction,” the message read.

On July 9, 1998, an earthquake measuring 5.8 on the Richter scale struck the north coast of the island of Faial, in the Azores, killing eight people, 110 injured and more than 1,500 homeless, and destroying 70% of the housing stock in this area. island.

Speaking to Lusa as part of a report on the 25th anniversary of the earthquake, José Contente, current PS deputy in the regional parliament and who was regional secretary for Housing and Public Works in 1998, recalled the difficulties that The executive experienced that year to temporarily accommodate people, first in temporary tents, then in prefabricated.

“We had to relocate these people right away, that summer, in terms of temporary relocation. I remember, from this distance, that there were no prefabs anywhere, the factories were closed in the summer. A team had to come from Canada to assemble this type of prefab,” he says.

25 years later, the former ruler believes that Faial “is now better prepared to face phenomena such as the earthquake of July 9, 1998”, despite the fact that the island is again hit by a new seismic crisis.

According to CIVISA, the Azores Seismovolcanic Information and Monitoring Center, dozens of earthquakes have been recorded since the beginning of the week (some of which were felt), with the epicenter at sea, west of the parish of Capelo, exactly in front of the great earthquake, which also occurred at sea, just five kilometers from Ponta da Ribeirinha, on the east coast.

“The seismic activity west of Faial Island is above normal reference values”, indicates the official website of CIVISA, which adds that it follows the evolution of this original seismic crisis tectonic, that is, resulting from the movement of the tectonic plates that cross the central group of the Azores.

AT (RF) // DC

By Impala News / Lusa

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