A powerful 6.5-magnitude earthquake in the Pacific Ocean shook much of Central America on Tuesday. From Nicaragua to Guatemala, tremors sent residents in some cities streaming into the streets.
God uses all kinds of natural phenomena to serve His purposes. Drought or rain, quake or calm, our powerful Creator continually “upholds all things by the word of His power.” (Hebrews 1:3)
The U.S. Geological Survey reports that the quake’s epicenter was 27 miles south of Intipuca, El Salvador. It occurred at a depth of 43 miles. That point is outside the Gulf of Fonseca where Honduras, El Salvador, and Nicaragua all share a coastline.
In El Salvador’s capital of San Salvador, residents ran into the streets as the ground shook. But there were no immediate reports of damage or injuries. A local radio station opened its phone lines to residents around the country.
In the country’s Legislative Assembly, lawmakers fled their desks to get out of the building. They returned a short time later to resume the session.
Salvadoran lawmaker Salvador Chacon said on Twitter that workers were checking for victims and damage in the coastal city of La Libertad, near the capital.
Large earthquakes sometimes trigger tsunamis. But El Salvador’s Environment Ministry advised that there was no threat of one.
In Nicaragua, folks in the capital and all along the Pacific coast felt the quake. Nicaragua’s Vice President and first lady, Rosario Murillo, says there were no immediate reports of victims in that country.
Residents of Honduras and Belize also felt the quake, according to witnesses and local media.
This wasn’t the only recent earthquake on this side of the world. Farther south, a magnitude 6.6 earthquake struck deep in the Earth under Argentina on Sunday. People also felt it in neighboring Chile. The epicenter was near Loncopue, Argentina. The tremor occurred at a depth of about 106 miles.
The mountains quake before Him; the hills melt; the Earth heaves before Him, the world and all who dwell in it. — Nahum 1:5
