The earthquake of September 19. How have we faced the crisis in Morelos, Mexico?

Abstract

Earthquakes are difficult to predict. On September 19, 2017, 32 years after an equally severe event, another one happened, of magnitude 7.1. Damages included an important death toll and material losses in the capital of Mexico, as well as in Morelos, where the epicenter was - the State had serious damages in 30 municipalities out of 33. In this article, we systematize society’s actions after the disaster in the context of structural vulnerability, in terms of poverty and lack of prevention in the public policy. To achieve this, we describe the characteristics of the damages and the organization between the university Universidad Autónoma del Estado de Morelos and civil society to face the contingency, showing an unconventional form of organized response.

earthquake damages; structural vulnerability; mitigation policies