Puerto Plata earthquake anniversary and preparedness

To commemorate the 23rd anniversary of the magnitude 6.5 earthquake that struck Puerto Plata on September 22, 2003, local government institutions organized the ‘Puerto Plata Resiliente’ seismic prevention and response event. The 2003 disaster caused significant structural damage, including the collapse of buildings and the destruction of the old maritime pier, leaving over 20,000 students without classrooms.

Organized by the National Office of Seismic Evaluation and Vulnerability of Infrastructure and Buildings (Onesvie) alongside the provincial government, the local mayor's office, and Civil Defense, the initiative focused on strengthening community preparedness. The program included practical exercises such as ‘Drop, Cover, and Hold On’ maneuvers and controlled evacuation drills. Additionally, the event featured demonstrations of the P-900 seismic alert system to illustrate the process from signal detection to alert emission.

During the workshop, Copperzut provided a demonstration of the P-900 seismic alert system, showing how seismic signals are detected and processed to generate alerts. Participants practiced orderly evacuations to designated meeting points to reinforce a culture of disaster prevention.