Mexico City earthquake in 1985 and Miami apartment collapse

The tragedy in Miami, Florida reminds me of the devastation inflicted on Mexico City (MC) several decades ago.

I visited that city a few weeks after the earthquake and was amazed. I found the damage unimaginable. It was a very serious earthquake (8.1 on the Richter scale), and unlike the Miami tragedy, thousands of buildings were completely destroyed.

The early death toll was estimated at 10,000. Newer estimates are half that number, but other estimates are much higher – up to 60,000. We won’t know for sure.

The contrast between MC in 1985 and Miami today is dramatic. Building codes are very strict in Miami, but they were virtually non-existent in MC. This has changed in MC, and when the codes are followed, they are quite successful…more later.

One example of Mexican knowledge is the Latin American tower in the middle of cities. It is a showcase of Mexican architecture and safe construction. It was built in 1956 – before the devastating 1985 earthquake – and held up without problems.

When I take groups into town regularly, the tower was the first place we’d visit – the top 45 floors was the best place to see the city. However, the experience with which this structure is built is used only occasionally, as it is very expensive.

Reports from Miami point to the issue of salt water as a factor in the deterioration of building materials, but the problem with MC is the fact that the city is built on an unsafe lake bed. When the Spanish conquistadors entered the Valley of Mexico in the 16th century, they found the Aztec city of Tenochtitlan on islands in the middle of a shallow Lake Texcoco. Over the years, the lake drained and the city expanded to this area.

The disaster in Miami captured the attention of our country and beyond, and it is reported daily in the news. The event that occurred in the aftermath of the MC disaster was also special international news, but there was a very unusual event there that received special attention – “Miracle Children”.

In MC after the initial shocks, one observer puts it, “residents rolled up their sleeves and began digging among the rubble — brick by brick — looking for survivors. Every few minutes, one of the volunteers would shout, “Silencio!” Immediately everyone stopped digging. There is an eerie calm in the dusty air as we all heard any sound of survivors. But as the days went by, the chances of finding more victims alive became smaller and smaller.”

Then the miracles came.

“In the middle of the night, six days after the first earthquake, we were filming at Juarez Hospital in the heart of the capital. No one was rescued in days. Then suddenly, the volunteers raised their hands in the air, again demanding silence.

One of the workers heard what he thought was the faint sound of a crying child. Then the volunteers resumed the frantic excavation work. And sure enough, within minutes they pulled a six-day-old baby – tiny Elvira Rosas – from under the rubble. She was born just minutes before the earth shook about a week ago, and somehow, against all odds, she survived.

And that wasn’t all. An hour and a half later, there was another call to calm down and for another baby – this time an 8-day-old baby was moved for their joy and tearful cries of gratitude.” This was repeated several times.

The above mentioned for the volunteer citizens is a great contrast to the scene today in Miami. Today in Miami there are hundreds, not volunteers, but highly trained professionals who work around the clock and use the latest technological tools – people specially trained for this type of work.

What a difference between the richest country in the world and a struggling developing country. Of course, there’s also 36 years between the two events.

In the wake of this massive disaster, people have already come out of their homes and embarked on taking over the streets as well as rescue efforts. It was clear that the central government was too shaky, corrupt, and powerless to respond successfully – and the citizens of Mexico were learning a very important lesson: their government doesn’t work!

This marks the beginning of the end of one-party rule in Mexico and the beginning of a movement toward a democratic Mexico.

Another interesting contrast between the two events is the reaction of the heads of state. President de la Madrid in Mexico did not speak in public for two full days after the earthquake, while our president was an outspoken observer and is now a visitor to the Miami website.

The popular response in Mexico brought political pressure on their government, “In this political vacuum, local grassroots groups organized the rescue of victims – known as damnificados – and rebuilt homes for them…” The city was very different. Wherever I looked, there were people taking and bringing in aid.”

I can remember reports of people from nearby villages and the countryside creating massive traffic jams in their efforts to bring tacos, burritos, and tamales into these donuts. I have personally found the Mexican people to be very generous.

Mexico learned a lot from the 1985 earthquake, but how it permeated the lower classes and those outside urban centers remains a serious question.

There is now an early warning system that is a model for other developing countries. There are also building codes, but most of the focus is clearly on downtown in Mexico City. “But in reality, enforcement of building codes remains a challenge throughout Mexico – as in other countries around the world… It is estimated that ‘non-engineered’ building types account for 40% of the building stock in Mexico City, and there are concerns that poverty and inequality contribute to continued vulnerability to earthquakes, particularly far from downtown.”

The most important assessment of the Mexican situation comes from the British publication The Guardian a few years ago.

Shortly after the 1985 earthquake, the historic city center, or El Centro, was in tatters, but now bears almost no trace of destruction (I visited the city several times in the meantime). Within reach of tourists, informal settlements continue to proliferate. There, laws and regulations are not relevant. Residents build with whatever materials they can find and cost, and they still struggle to access basic services like water and electricity. For all the improvements that have been made over the past 30 years, nearly 60% of the city is made up of these unorganized, informal, and vulnerable areas.”

While the people of Mexico City wait and pray for the next inevitable earthquake to be minor and/or visit another section of the city or country, the people of Miami will decide the next step. We can expect investigations, possibly lawsuits and much more.

But I wonder if it will lead to major changes, political or economic, like the one that followed the 1985 earthquake in Mexico City.

Neil Sennar is Professor Emeritus at Wilmington College.

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