"Activate the earthquake machine!"
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| Caribbean-Latin America |
| Quake rocks Trinidad, Venezuela |
| 2006-09-29 |
| A strong earthquake hit Venezuela and Trinidad, knocking out power across much of the Caribbean island and sending thousands of people in Venezuela into the streets. Callers to local radio said there had been structural damage to some buildings in Trinidad, which was the epicentre of the 6.1 magnitude quake. But authorities in both countries, which are separated by just a few kilometres of the Caribbean Sea, said there were no reports of serious injuries. In Venezuela, the world's No 5 crude oil exporter, there were no reports of damage to energy installations, although the state oil company said its officials were still checking their facilities after much of the east of the country shook during the quake. Similarly, initial reports showed energy installations escaped unscathed in Trinidad. Still, frightened residents on the island scurried into the streets as bottles fell off shelves and smashed in their homes. Telephone lines swayed violently overhead. An international airport in Trinidad was evacuated and flights canceled as officials checked for any structural damage to its buildings. As a precaution in case any aftershocks caused more damage, local authorities ordered people to evacuate many buildings in major cities in Venezuela. In the capital Caracas, which is more than 600 km from Trinidad, 10,000 people were briefly ordered outside, the mayor said. The US Geological Survey's earthquake monitoring centre said the quake hit at 9:08 am (2308 AEST) at a depth of 62.6 km. Such a magnitude can typically cause considerable damage to poorly built structures, and slight-to-moderate damage in well-built structures. In Trinidad, which is a major supplier to the United States of liquefied natural gas, there was no damage or disruption to operations at the country's only plant, Atlantic LNG, company spokesman Billson Hansley said. Atlantic LNG is a joint venture between the state-owned National Gas Co and British, Spanish and French companies. In the country's capital, Port of Spain, BP Plc's head office was evacuated. It was not immediately clear if the company's offshore gas and oil operations were affected by the quake. |
| Posted by:john |
| #5 Memo To: Halliburton Earthquake Division From: Director, Halliburton R&D Okay youse (sic) guys, that was real funny. Now, we all know that Uncle Hugo has this huge chip on his shoulder vis-a-vis GW, but c'mon already. Uncle Hugo has control of a large amount of oil interests in which we have a large interest once Uncle Hugo and his frat-boy hanger-ons are shoved to the side by the invas...I mean occupa...damn, that's not the right word either - how about we just set that aside for the moment. Either way, you guys need to knock off playing with the "New! Shiney!" toys. Otherwise Uncle Hugo might start to wonder about all the field agents running around down there shifting money and alliances our way. So, cool it. Okay? Thanks. |
| Posted by: FOTSGreg 2006-09-29 20:33 |
| #4 "Activate the earthquake machine!" |
| Posted by: Anonymoose 2006-09-29 17:59 |
| #3 I wonder how the viaduct to the airport faired. |
| Posted by: 6 2006-09-29 17:54 |
| #2 I blame Allan. Chavez should never have made friends with him. |
| Posted by: Nimble Spemble 2006-09-29 17:29 |
| #1 I blame tobacco. |
| Posted by: Thoth 2006-09-29 17:25 |