A. Situation analysis
Description of the disaster
On 7 July 2014, a 6.4-magnitude earthquake on the Richter scale rocked western Guatemala at 17:24 local time. Its epicenter was located 15 kilometers northwest of San Marcos near the Mexican border, and the earthquake was felt in 12 departments in the western part of Guatemala as well as in Mexico and El Salvador.
According to consolidated damage assessment information provided by the National Disaster Reduction Commission (CONRED), 2,177 dwellings suffered slight damage, 4,761 dwellings suffered moderate damage and 2,895 were severely damaged; there were 274 people injured and 1 death.
Approximately 9,830 people remained homeless and 84,679 people were affected. The information was gathered by local authorities and assessment teams, and the figures did not vary in regard to damage and structural assessments of homes in the various communities.
The government declared a “State of Public Disaster” for 30 days in the most affected departments, which was ratified by the Legislature and extended three times; the last extension was for 30 additional days as per Government Decree number 7-2014 of 2 October 2014. The purpose of declaring a state of emergency was, to restore infrastructure and essential public services and to avoid greater consequences, as well as to permit any action to avoid or mitigate any negative effects and ensure the lives, integrity and safety of the affected population and safeguard their assets to be conducted.