safety steps

Earthquake Summary: https://ow.ly/3Bvq50R79wU

U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) – Our hearts go out to those locally affected by the magnitude 7.4 earthquake that struck the eastern coast of Taiwan around 8 am on April 3 local time.

The mainshock was followed by a magnitude 6.4 aftershock 13 minutes later. Eastern Taiwan has several faults and includes a plate boundary, which can produce damaging earthquakes of magnitude 7 or larger.

In the last 50 years, 6 other M7+ earthquakes occurred within 155 miles (250 kilometers) of today’s earthquake.

We are already seeing some reports of damaged buildings, which is consistent with the USGS Prompt Assessment of Global Earthquakes for Response (PAGER), an information tool that indicates a “Yellow” alert for shaking-related fatalities and economic losses.

Sadly, at this level casualties and damage are likely, but typically the impact is expected to be relatively localized.

Aftershocks will continue. We encourage people to refer to Tawain’s Central Weather Administration at https://ow.ly/flTq50R79wW for local information.

Large aftershocks of magnitude 5.0 or greater will be posted on https://ow.ly/c8OQ50R79wV.