This Issue:

Table of Contents

Cover Story

Cover Story - Spanish Version

Mini-Lesson

Comprehension Quiz

Teacher's Guide and Worksheets

One Crushing Quake

By Ritu Upadhyay

Last saturday afternoon in Santa Tecla, El Salvador, a weak Arturo Magana, 25, wandered around in a daze. Just hours earlier, the area had been the familiar neighborhood where he grew up. Now he was searching for his brother Jaime, 18, amid piles of dirt and rubble. "I don't know where to dig because I don't know where my house is," he said.

Thousands of people like Magana have been desperately trying to locate loved ones in El Salvador. The country was rocked by an earthquake last week that brought mountains of dirt crashing down on several cities. By last Friday, more than 687 people had been confirmed dead, and at least 2,500 were injured. An additional 45,000 people were left homeless. Rescue crews from Spain, Taiwan, the U.S. and other countries arrived on the scene to dig out survivors. "We're a nation of strong people," said Santa Tecla Mayor Oscar Ortiz. "We'll need that now."

On Unstable Ground
The disaster was not the first of its kind for El Salvador, which lies in an earthquake zone. But this quake was the most destructive ever. It triggered more than 185 landslides. Environmentalists believe some could have been prevented. In Santa Tecla, they say, the cutting of forests on a nearby hill caused the land to become loose and eventually crumble with the pressure from the earthquake. Some Salvadorans had asked their government to stop builders from cutting trees on that hill.

For days after the disaster, thousands of homeless survivors slept outdoors. Many swarmed around the helicopters that brought food, water and medicine. "All we have left is God and the helicopter that brings us food," said Fidelia Guardao.

The cost of damage from the quake is more than $1 billion, nearly half the country's annual budget. El Salvador's President Francisco Flores appealed to other nations to send supplies and help his country rebuild.

---

What Causes a Quake?
The earth's crust is not a solid globe like a ball. It is made up of pieces that slowly shift. A fault is a weak line below the surface, where two pieces meet. An earthquake happens when any two pieces suddenly move in opposite directions. A quake begins at a point called the focus. Vibrations traveling outward from the focus are called seismic waves. The areas closest to the focus are hit hardest. Last week people in Guatemala and Honduras felt the ground shake-but not so violently as Salvadorans. Soil in deforested areas shifted, creating landslides.

Next: Buried Treasure