M 5.9 - LAC KIVU REGION, DEM. REP. OF THE CONGO

Summary

Population Exposure

 Population per ˜1 square km from Landscan 2005

Selected City Exposure

MMI	City	Population
VII	Cyangugu	63k
VI	Kabare	37k
VI	Bukavu	225k
V	Kibuye	48k
V	Cibitoke	14k
V	Goma	144k
IV	Gitarama	87k
IV	Butare	89k
IV	Uvira	170k
IV	Kigali	745k
IV	Bujumbura	331k

Shaking Intensity

    MMI

Users should consider the preliminary nature of this information and check for updates as additional data becomes available. Population exposure estimates are NOT a direct estimate of earthquake damage; comparable shaking will result in significantly lower losses in regions with well built structures than in regions with vulnerable structures. Overall, structures in this region are vulnerable to earthquake shaking, though some resistant structures exist. A magnitude 5.1 earthquake struck the Congo region in January, 2002, with estimated population exposures of 350,000 at intensity V and 680,000 at intensity IV, resulting in 45 deaths.

PAGER results are generally available on the Internet within 30 minutes of the earthquake's occurrence. However, information on the extent of shaking will be uncertain in the minutes and hours following an earthquake and typically improves as additional sensor data and reported intensities are acquired and incorporated into models of the earthquake's source. Users of PAGER exposure estimates should account for uncertainty and always seek the most current PAGER release for any earthquake.

Maps

Map of MMI contours plotted over population per ˜1 square km (see gray scale bar on top of map). The regions of integer MMI values are separated by the thick contour lines and labeled with Roman numerals. The total population exposure to a given MMI value is obtained by summing the population between the thick contour lines. This total is shown in population exposure table.

Map of shaking intensity. This map shows the estimated MMI as a continuous color scale. The ground shaking estimates can be obtained from http://earthquake.usgs.gov/shakemap/.

Exposure

Table showing population exposed to different estimated Modified Mercalli Intensity (MMI) levels and the possible damage at different intensity levels for resistant and vulnerable structures. MMI describes the severity of an earthquake in terms of its effect on humans and structures and is a rough measure of the amount of shaking at a given location. Unlike earthquake magnitude, intensity varies with distance from the fault, and is influenced by the depth of the earthquake and the types of soils in the shaken region. Population outside the map bounds are not included in the totals.

Downloads

• 
  onePAGER PDF
  293 kB
• 
  Exposure XML
  10 kB
• 
  Shakemap
  34 kB
• 
  Population Map
  89 kB
• 
  Population PDF
  233 kB

Details