It is ungrateful to say whether yesterday's earthquake was a major shock or an announcement of a similar strength - because such experiences exist, she told "Vijesti" yesterday. Jadranka Mihaljević from the Institute for Hydrometeorology and Seismology.
The earthquake woke up most of the citizens of Montenegro, as well as the border areas of neighboring Bosnia and Herzegovina and Croatia, at 4:XNUMX a.m. yesterday morning.
The epicenter of the earthquake was in the area of Mount Golija, six kilometers southwest of Čarađe, and the intensity of the earthquake in the focal point was 5,3 units on the Richter scale, which corresponds to the epicentral intensity of degree VII of the Mercali scale (MCS). The epicenter of this earthquake was located at a depth of 16 km, and significant material damage was caused to buildings in villages near the epicenter, as well as landslides on roads...
Mihaljević pointed out that the Institute for Hydrometeorology and Seismology has been registering a series of weak to strong earthquakes that "occurred in the entire central region of Montenegro" for several months.
"...That belt practically stretched from Shkodra in Albania, across Podhum, Lake Skadar, across the Zeta basin and Nikšić. With magnitudes of up to three units on the Richter scale, citizens could feel some of them, and some went unnoticed by the citizens," explains Mihaljević.
She said that since yesterday morning, "a large number of earthquakes, very small to moderate in size, whose magnitude has not yet exceeded magnitude 3,5" have been registered.
"According to the historical catalog of earthquakes, the maximum magnitude recorded in this direction of active faulting is 5,5 (Bosnia and Herzegovina, 1902), with several earthquakes with a magnitude of four to five on the Richter scale. In other words, the earthquake is close to the expected maximum magnitude in this area," said the seismologist.
They call from all the villages of Golija and report the damage
"They call me from all the villages from Golija, from Prenka to Kazanac, to villages that belong to Herzegovina, and report damage to buildings - houses, stables, barns. The most important thing is that the people are healthy, and what the people here live on the most, the livestock, is healthy, and everything has remained as it was. The facilities will be repaired, we hope," said the president of the local community Krstac in Golija Dragoljub Manojlović, the place that was the epicenter of yesterday's 5,3-magnitude earthquake.
The population of that area says that it was the strongest earthquake ever felt in Golija.
Miladin Manojlović The earthquake collapsed the wall of the barn, but as he says, it's a good thing that it fell from the outside, so the cattle inside were not harmed.
"It shook, it swayed, it's a miracle. My wife and I jumped out of the house. It seemed to me that it lasted a long time, but probably not more than ten seconds. We rushed outside and saw the barn collapsing. We ran to see that the cows were not buried, when luckily the wall outside fell so that the cattle were not harmed. Inside were seven cows and two calves. The damage is great, but it is important that the calves are healthy," said sixty-five-year-old Miladin.
Earthquake cracks are visible on both the exterior and interior walls of the house.
His neighbor and cousin Tomislav Manojlovic he said that it was not pleasant to listen to the "rumble", but that the most important thing was that there were no victims, and all the damage can be compensated.
"This kind of earthquake in Golija is unprecedented. It was shaking, and I don't know where to run. Dishes, bottles, everything falls from the shelves in the living room. But everything is good when there are no dead heads. There is damage, but the damage can be compensated," said seventy-two-year-old Tomislav.
The walls of numerous houses and barns in Golija cracked from the outside as well as the inside, the plaster fell off, the roofs of some houses were damaged, and the earthquake caused landslides in some places. Damage is mostly visible on buildings of older construction.
Volunteers of the Nikšić Red Cross visited Golija and delivered food and hygiene packages to nine families.
As they said in MZ Velimlje, there is a lot of damage to houses and auxiliary facilities in that local community as well. There are cracks in the walls of many houses in Banjani and Oputni Rudine, and the inn and monastery on Sominina also suffered damage.
Golija was also visited by the president of Nikšić Municipality Marko Kovacevic with associates, as well as representatives of the Ministry of Internal Affairs - Directorate for Protection and Rescue.
"As a responsible local self-government, we decided to come, visit the locals and point out to them the fact that the Municipality is there for them in case there is a need for some help. Our services that are in charge of damage assessment in such cases will visit this area, so after some time we will know how much we will be able to help. The most important thing is that we are determined to help and that these are opportunities where we have to show that we are there for the citizens, because that is the basis of every local self-government," said Kovačević.
He also visited the "Branko Višnjić" Elementary School in Krsac, where 12 students attend classes. school janitor, Zoran Goranović, showed the damage caused by the earthquake – the walls and the chimney were cracked inside.
The Government of Montenegro will help repair damage caused by the earthquake in the area of Golija, in the municipality of Nikšić. The Commission for the Assessment of Damages from Natural Disasters, which it chairs Vladimir Jokovic, the Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Water Management will familiarize himself with the situation on the ground and, in accordance with the prescribed procedures, make decisions on further action.
President of the Municipality of Plužine Slobodan Delic he said that the earthquake was also felt in Piva, that it was the strongest earthquake he had experienced.
"We had several calls that, due to the earthquake, cracks were visible on buildings in the rural area. In the coming days, after notifying the citizens, the commission will visit the objects in question and assess the damage".
Illegal construction can cost us dearly
Mihaljević notes that illegal construction does not go hand in hand with the seismic safety of buildings. He explains that they are particularly problematic due to their structural insecurity and frequent positioning on seismically unfavorable terrain.
"When we talk about the danger of cities, in addition to seismic natural hazards, we always take into account the built environment, the presence of road or other infrastructure that is of the greatest value, the presence of cultural and historical objects and generally all the values in that area. Of course, including population, i.e. the population itself," said Mihaljević.
She pointed out that the coastal region of Montenegro is "the area of greatest seismic risk".
"Only after that would we single out the central part of Montenegro (Podgorica, Danilovgrad and Nikšić), where the natural risk of earthquakes is somewhat lower, but there is a large concentration of population and functional facilities," Mihaljević told "Vijesta".
"Vijesti" poll: No panic
Momcilo Raković: I didn't feel this morning's earthquake. Of course, I know how to protect myself. We crouch under the table, or stand near the door. As I said, I didn't feel this earthquake, but I did those last Sunday.
Ranko Dabanović: I felt an earthquake. I am 60 years old. I remember that earthquake in 1979. Even then I had no fear. I experienced it as something that was natural. I have no fear, unlike my family. My wife immediately entered the portals. She looked at the strength of the earthquake, where it happened, what and how... I have no fear of that. I can't explain.
Igor Radulović: I lived in California for 30-odd years. California is known for earthquakes. As a child, I remember the one from 1979, and God knows how hard I fell. There are frequent earthquakes. There are earthquakes there every now and then. Construction is a little different. Houses are made of wood and slats. It's easier for you when a beam falls on your head than a slab. I wasn't too scared. An earthquake, like an earthquake. Let's go live.
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