-Amid unusual earth vibrations in Foya District
By Jerromie S. Walters
Nearly two thousand residents of Yegbedu Town in Foya District have been compelled to evacuate their homes due to intense and suspicious vibrations experienced on multiple occasions recently.
Tamba D. Flomo, Acting District Commissioner of Foya tells WomenVoices: “I was the one that made the SOS call. What really took place last night (11:50 PM to 12:00 AM), a friend called me from a town called Yegbedu, the home of the former Defense Minister, and said serious vibration was taking place (That the ground was shaking. He explained to me that citizens are leaving the town and the town is becoming empty but since it was at night hour, we waited for this morning and the thing (vibration). We will hear heavy sound from under the ground and the ground will shake so they got afraid and they left the town.”
Commissioner Flomo and several others have considered the vibration as an earthquake. “This morning, I took a team of citizens from Foya. We moved there and we met a few of them (because some elders, women, and children had already left the town. We confirmed this information. In fact around 9:00 AM (this morning) the same thing repeated so actually citizens are living in fear.”
An earthquake is considered as the shaking of the Earth’s surface caused by a sudden release of energy in the lithosphere, resulting in seismic waves. In an interaction with this paper via phone, Acting Commissioner Flomo noted, “The town is over two hundred and fifty houses. Closed to one thousand eight hundred to two thousand inhabitants live there.”
Foya District is one of six districts located in Lofa County, Liberia. Foya is predominantly occupied by the Kissi tribe and it is about 450 km (280 mi) from Monrovia and 66 kilometers from Voinjama. Foya District Acting Commissioner Flomoarticulated, “It is troubling because our citizens are displaced. Some of the old people, the women, and some children are no longer there so we want to have some environmental specialiststo advise us. They (Residents of the affected town) are in three communities,” he said, and specifically named Foya as one of the three destinations.
However, he confirmed that, as of now, there have been no casualties, injuries, or property damage resulting from the vibrations. However, he expressed concern for the residents, who are anxious about the potential for chaos if the vibrations continue.
“I cannot confirm any destruction and nobody die. No house was broken down and nothing was destroyed. The vibration continues up to this afternoon. Some of them have gone all the way to Foya. It is one of the villages in Foya District but it is a little bit far from Foya. It started happening on the 26 of July and repeated on the 29 of July this year which was not major but it is troubling. It needs to be reported to national government,” he said.
At the moment, Acting Commissioner Tamba D. Flomo said there has not been a direct intervention by the government, but authorities, like the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the National Disaster Management, have promised to intervene today, August 14, 2024.
Meanwhile, Yegbedu Town Chief Johnson Boie revealed that the vibrations recently occurred four times (simultaneously), prompting an urgent evacuation as residents fled with their belongings. Like the Commissioner of Foya District, Chief Boienoted that the disturbances intensified between 11 PM and 6 AM, causing considerable instability. While he speculated that soil movement might be causing the issue, he expressed uncertainty about the ongoing situation.
Earthquake in Liberia
According to Earthquakelist, the strongest recent earthquake of the past 10 years near Liberia occurred on Oct 31, 2020, 07:20 local time (Africa/Monrovia timezone). It had a magnitude of 4.5 and struck 106 miles (171 km) northeast of Voinjama, at a depth of 6 mi.
Under Earthquakes by region of Liberia, It states that a total of 1 earthquake with a magnitude of four or above have struck within 186 mi (300 km) of Bong, Liberia in the past 10 years. Also, it says a total of 1 earthquake with a magnitude of four or above have struck within 186 mi (300 km) of Nimba, Liberia in the past 10 years. Liberia’s earthquake hazard is classified as very low.
Earthquakes can occur naturally or be induced by human activities, such as mining, fracking, and nuclear tests. Significant historical earthquakes include the 1556 Shaanxi earthquake in China, with over 830,000 fatalities, and the 1960 Valdivia earthquake in Chile, the largest ever recorded at 9.5 magnitude. Earthquakes result in various effects, such as ground shaking and soil liquefaction, leading to significant damage and loss of life. When the epicenter of a large earthquake is located offshore, the seabed may be displaced sufficiently to cause a tsunami.
