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The 2001 Earthquakes |
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In January and February 2001, a series of powerful earthquakes (the
strongest measuring 7.6 on the Richter scale) ripped through El
Salvador, killing over 1000 people and causing widespread destruction.
The earthquakes produced over 600 landslides and destroyed more 145,000
homes, along with schools and hospitals across the country. Few towns
remained unaffected, while main arterial roads and infrastructure were
also badly damaged. The cost of repairing the devastation is estimated
at US$2.8billion, and rebuilding will take years to complete.
The hardest hit areas were the central departments of San Vicente and
Cuscatlán and the coastal regions of Sonsonate, La Paz and Usulután. As
a result of the devastation caused by the earthquakes, some of the
information in this guide may no longer be accurate, especially in the
most badly affected towns, such as San Vicente, La Libertad,
Zacatecoluca, Sonsonate and Ahuachapán. Although some parts of the
capital, San Salvador, were damaged, the city was not badly affected,
while the popular northern town of Suchitoto escaped totally unscathed.
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