The damage is not that severe and no deaths have been reported, thank God for this. But the different damage reports are still trickling in and after shocks are still happening.

Three schools have reported damages to their structures. These structural cracks will not cause a problem for the school children when school resumes after the holidays are over. They are repairing the cracks so all will be safe for the kids return to school.

There is news also reported that there are some cracks in the roads and some landslides which are causing some travel problems. The raods are still passable but people have to take turns using the one open lane to get past the problem areas.

The road between Bani and Ocoa.(A friend sent me this picture. I do not know where it came from. if there are any problems with this picture please email me credit information and I will be happy to post it.)

It is also believed that this terremoto was the end of the world. Even though the earthquake that happened about 50 years ago was stronger this one caused much fear. Now there are more tall buildings and more people. The buildings that were 2 stories or more suffered the most damage.

We had another Temblor del Terra at 6:02PM . It registered 4.6 in the Richter Scale/ Escala de Ritcher, and was at a depth of 37.7 miles (60.7 km ).
http://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/recenteqsww/Quakes/usc0007gps.php

The The Emergency Operation Center/ Centro de Operaciones de Emergencias (COE) says that people in the area of the quakes need to keep vigilant as there will probably be more shaking coming.

I will post again in the morning unless something extraordinary happens, which I hope and pray nothing happens. I hope the earth decides to settle down and give all a rest after a very frightening and difficult day. Even though there was not much damage and people are all fine. It is very frightening when you are woken by shaking. If you ever were in an Earthquake you will know that the shaking is so unreal. After, even if you know you are safe, you still have a fear inside. I hope all those who are afraid can rest well this night.

The depth of the temblor de tierra was quite shallow at 10 kilometers.

The epicenter of the quake was located 17 kilometers from the town of San José de Ocoa (province of San José de Ocoa) and the same distance of Bani (Peravia province). 34 miles/ 50 kilometers away from the capital, Santo Domingo and 804 miles/ 1294 km SE of Miami, Florida

More info at these sites:
earthquake.usgs.gov
prsn.uprm.edu

You can also get lots of links to Earthquake information about quakes in DR, and more.

The movement of the quake was a lateral movement instead of the rolling horizontal movement that is usually noted in quakes.

There will be no tsunamis.

There have not yet been any reports of lives being lost.

There are many reports of the earth’s movement being felt at different levels of intensity throughout the country. To see a map of the different provinces for more of an idea where this happened.

San José de Ocoa is one of the areas hardest hit but the reports say no one was hurt. The temblor de tierra caused small landslides in the street Cruce de Ocoa and they are in the process of removing debris from the road now.

The newspaper Ocoa En Red reported at 9AM this morning that aftershocks were felt.

They say that people in the town are afraid and have been in the park and the streets since it happened. There is even people praying and holding church services.

Picture – Baron Hotel one or the more affected buildings in Ocoa.
More pictures of the damage in Ocoa.

http://ocoaenred.com

Also reported by Ocoa En Red.com of damages in Ocoa are the buildings of:
-Banco Cooperativa with cracked walls.
-Templo evangélico asamblea de dios/ Evangelical Temple Assembly of God with crackes in walls
-Junta para el desarrollo de san José de Ocoa/ Development Board of -St. Joseph of Ocoa has several cracks and damage to columns.
-Hotel el Balcón reports the main staircase has serious cracks

Interesting stuff about the quake:
Time: 5:35
Force: 5.3
Day: Jan. 5
Adding: 2+0+1+2 (2012) = 5
It is within days of the Haitian Quake 2 years ago.

I will report more information as I learn it.

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From December 14th to the 18th, 2011/ de 14 al 18 de diciembre
9am to 9pm
Location: Columbus Park, Colonial Zone, Santo Domingo/ en el Parque Colón, de la Ciudad Colonial, Santo Domingo

More than 300 artisans from across the Dominican Republic, including El Seibo, Miches, Samaná, Las Terrenas, Sánchez, Monte Plata, Yamasá, Capotillo, Ocoa, Villa Mella, Haina, Barahona, Baní y del Proyecto Cayena, will be exhibiting their works in the National District. This years fair is dedicated to the craftsmen and women of the Province of San José de Ocoa, renowned for the quality and beauty in the development of wooden objects. They will also pay tribute to Father Luis Quinn, for his contribution to the development of crafts in San Jose, Ocao.

There is a fun and varied program of cultural activities including free craft workshops, folk dancing, art shows and craft contest and other great surprises. Inside Columbus Park/ Parque Colon will be a variety of native works made in various materials such as natural fibers/ fibras naturales, amber, larimar, coconut/ coco, figs, ceramics and contemporary neo-Taino/ cerámica neo-taína contemporánea, metals/ metales, textiles, shell/ concha y caracol, leather/ piel, fabric/ textiles, paper mache/ papel maché and wood/ madera.

If you are looking for a unique and original gift for Christmas or just something for yourself this is the place to find it. You will get something special while helping our Dominican artists.