NWA to assess vital structures for possible earthquake damage

 

The National Works Agency [NWA] will assess structures which may have been damaged during the two earthquakes that shook sections of the island on Sunday.

 

The first of the two quakes registered a preliminary magnitude of 5.6 and  located approximately 152 kilometres north of Ocho Rios, St Ann, was felt at 10:50 a.m.

 

A second quake of magnitude 6.8 was felt about 11:51 a.m.

 

NWA Communication Manager Stephen Shaw said the agency's teams will assess some older structures, in particular, "and we  invite members of the public, should they be in possession of any information, as it relates to any structure in their area, that may have been damaged, please reach out to us so that we can investigate..."

 

Mr Shaw told Radio Jamaica News that most modern bridges have been built to withstand shocks from earthquakes, "and so there is a certain degree of tolerance where these structures are concerned, meaning they are able to move without compromising the structures themselves."