The 1931 Nicaragua earthquake devastated
Nicaragua
Nicaragua (; ), officially the Republic of Nicaragua (), is the largest country in Central America, bordered by Honduras to the north, the Caribbean to the east, Costa Rica to the south, and the Pacific Ocean to the west. Managua is the coun ...
's capital city
Managua
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on 31 March. It had a moment magnitude of 6.1 and a maximum
MSK intensity of VI (''Strong''). Between 1,000 and 2,450 people were killed. A major fire started and destroyed thousands of structures, burning into the next day. At least 45,000 were left homeless and losses of $35 million were recorded.
Earthquake and aftermath
The earthquake hit Managua at 10:10
or 10:19 AM on 31 March, and caused cracks to spread throughout the western side of the city. East Managua was largely untouched. The main quake's duration was around 5 to 6 seconds.
The quake was largely centered in Managua.
Granada, Nicaragua
Granada () is a city in western Nicaragua and the capital of the Granada Department. With an estimated population of 104,980 (2021), it is Nicaragua's ninth most populous city. Granada is historically one of Nicaragua's most important cities, eco ...
, was unaffected.
The earthquake caused a large fire, which burned for five days, destroying 33 blocks in "the richest and most important area of the city".
Around of the city were seriously damaged and a further saw "minor damage".
All major government buildings in the city except for the
National Bank of Nicaragua and most of the nation's archives were destroyed. The city, which at the time had a population of around 60,000 people, saw the vast majorityan estimated 35,000 or 45,000 left homeless. Ernest J. Swift, the director of relief efforts undertaken by the
American Red Cross
The American Red Cross (ARC), also known as the American National Red Cross, is a non-profit humanitarian organization that provides emergency assistance, disaster relief, and disaster preparedness education in the United States. It is the des ...
, estimated damages at around $15 million, though other estimates range as high as $30 or $35 million.
[Toronto Star, April 1, 1931] The most deaths occurred in the city's penitentiary.
American marines and the
Guardia Nacional immediately began working to restore order in Managua. American navy soldiers established a hospital while army soldiers fought the fire.
, an American soldier who was leading the
Nicaragua Canal Survey, organized a relief team of 34 soldiers, and was on an emergency committee for responding. He was charged with overseeing the restoration of railroads and water to the city, and chaired a food relief committee that provided 24,000 rations daily by April 24. The American Red Cross initially provided $10,000 towards relief, before increasing the amount to $100,000. People from Mexico and Panama, as well as other Central American countries, were sent to assist in relief and rebuilding efforts.
America flew in medical supplies, working to prevent the outbreak of various diseases.
Rebuilding
In March 1932, ''
The New York Times
''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...
'' reported that "the Nicaraguan capital Is slowly emerging from ruins caused by 1931 earthquake". Rents fell by 40% in the year following the earthquake, and the city had slowly been rebuilding. Efforts were hampered by a lack of funding. The city was eventually rebuilt in the
Spanish Colonial architecture style.
See also
*
List of earthquakes in 1931
*
List of earthquakes in Nicaragua
References
Bibliography
*
External links
American Assistance Following The Destruction Of Managua By The Earthquake Of March 31, 1931–
University of Wisconsin System
*{{EQ-isc-link, 906694
Earthquakes in Nicaragua
Nicaragua Earthquake, 1931
Managua
1931 in Nicaragua
March 1931 events