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CNN Live Today

Interview With Gretchen Peters of 'Christian Science Monitor'

Aired January 22, 2003 - 11:06   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.


LEON HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: Wide areas of Mexico are under a state of emergency this morning after a powerful and deadly earthquake. At least 23 people were killed and most of them in the Pacific coastal state of Colima, which is about 300 miles away to the west of Mexico City.
Gretchen Peters of the "Christian Science Monitor" joins us now live on the telephone from Mexico City to give us an update and some perspective on what happened last night when this earthquake struck. As I understand it, Gretchen, this was so powerful that it was felt quite strongly there in Mexico City some 300 miles to the east.

GRETCHEN PETERS, "CHRISTIAN SCIENCE MONITOR": Yes, that's correct, Leon. A lot of people in Mexico City, thousands in fact, ran out onto the streets, many refused to go back home. Morning news programs were interviewing people who stayed out on the streets all night fearing after shocks. This is a city that has been traumatized by past earthquakes -- and the western -- the central western coastal states also have been traumatized by these repeated tremors.

Also we're seeing today footage on local television showing local residents and the first rescue crews to arrive in Colima, sifting through buildings that have collapsed into heaps. The pictures show cars crushed by bricks. Most of the state was still without electricity and phone service this morning, which is making it very difficult for authorities and, of course, us journalists to assess the extent of the damage there and the death toll.

HARRIS: As you talk now, Gretchen, we're just now seeing some of the freshest video that we've got coming in from Colima, shot last night, obviously, in the dark there. You know what -- I also read this morning, Gretchen, that there is an active volcano there in the vicinity of Colima. Was there any concern that this may have been caused by that?

PETERS: Well, that volcano is active from time to time, but no, my understanding from talking to officials at the U.S. Geological Survey and here in Mexico is that there is regular seismic activity in this area. There have been -- there are a number of pretty sizable earthquakes every year in that part of Mexico that affect -- that often affect -- are often felt as far as away as Mexico City, even up to Texas from time to time.

HARRIS: In that case then, is it possible, then, that I guess this -- I guess being used to having these kind of tremors there in that area has actually gotten these people there very well prepared with how to act if something like this does strike, because that could really be a big factor in keeping the casualty numbers down.

GRETCHEN: Well, that's true. Mexicans do tend to run out of their houses or offices whenever there is an earthquake. The Mexican authorities are quite well prepared to respond to situations like this, and have responded quite quickly in this situation.

For example, getting phone lines and electricity back up in the capital and other areas where it was affected within a few hours of the quake hitting. However, this is -- Colima is a rural and agricultural state. There are a lot of poor people there who live in simple adobe homes, and it's believed that quite a lot of them just crumbled. In Guadalajara, in neighboring Jalisco states, which is Mexico's second largest city, the quake leveled 40 homes and left more than 100 people homeless, according to local reports.

HARRIS: I don't want to diminish at all what the residents there and those who are native to that area may be going through right now, but as I also understand it, this is quite close to an area where tourists frequent, as well. Do we know anything at all about whether or not the tourist areas have been damaged, or whether or not there have been any casualties there, where tourists may have actually been visiting?

PETERS: There's one report from a coastal area in Colima where a hotel was damaged, and no reports of injuries or serious injuries so far, and we're not hearing any serious reports of injuries or damage in places like Acapulco, which is a major tourist resort on the Pacific coast. Often, Acapulco feels those earthquakes in that region very heavily, and has suffered damage in the past, but this time around, it seems to have gotten away quite easily.

HARRIS: Gretchen, are you there? It sounds as though we may have lost the telephone connection to Gretchen Peters, who was on the phone with us from Mexico City.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com





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Aired January 22, 2003 - 11:06   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
LEON HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: Wide areas of Mexico are under a state of emergency this morning after a powerful and deadly earthquake. At least 23 people were killed and most of them in the Pacific coastal state of Colima, which is about 300 miles away to the west of Mexico City.
Gretchen Peters of the "Christian Science Monitor" joins us now live on the telephone from Mexico City to give us an update and some perspective on what happened last night when this earthquake struck. As I understand it, Gretchen, this was so powerful that it was felt quite strongly there in Mexico City some 300 miles to the east.

GRETCHEN PETERS, "CHRISTIAN SCIENCE MONITOR": Yes, that's correct, Leon. A lot of people in Mexico City, thousands in fact, ran out onto the streets, many refused to go back home. Morning news programs were interviewing people who stayed out on the streets all night fearing after shocks. This is a city that has been traumatized by past earthquakes -- and the western -- the central western coastal states also have been traumatized by these repeated tremors.

Also we're seeing today footage on local television showing local residents and the first rescue crews to arrive in Colima, sifting through buildings that have collapsed into heaps. The pictures show cars crushed by bricks. Most of the state was still without electricity and phone service this morning, which is making it very difficult for authorities and, of course, us journalists to assess the extent of the damage there and the death toll.

HARRIS: As you talk now, Gretchen, we're just now seeing some of the freshest video that we've got coming in from Colima, shot last night, obviously, in the dark there. You know what -- I also read this morning, Gretchen, that there is an active volcano there in the vicinity of Colima. Was there any concern that this may have been caused by that?

PETERS: Well, that volcano is active from time to time, but no, my understanding from talking to officials at the U.S. Geological Survey and here in Mexico is that there is regular seismic activity in this area. There have been -- there are a number of pretty sizable earthquakes every year in that part of Mexico that affect -- that often affect -- are often felt as far as away as Mexico City, even up to Texas from time to time.

HARRIS: In that case then, is it possible, then, that I guess this -- I guess being used to having these kind of tremors there in that area has actually gotten these people there very well prepared with how to act if something like this does strike, because that could really be a big factor in keeping the casualty numbers down.

GRETCHEN: Well, that's true. Mexicans do tend to run out of their houses or offices whenever there is an earthquake. The Mexican authorities are quite well prepared to respond to situations like this, and have responded quite quickly in this situation.

For example, getting phone lines and electricity back up in the capital and other areas where it was affected within a few hours of the quake hitting. However, this is -- Colima is a rural and agricultural state. There are a lot of poor people there who live in simple adobe homes, and it's believed that quite a lot of them just crumbled. In Guadalajara, in neighboring Jalisco states, which is Mexico's second largest city, the quake leveled 40 homes and left more than 100 people homeless, according to local reports.

HARRIS: I don't want to diminish at all what the residents there and those who are native to that area may be going through right now, but as I also understand it, this is quite close to an area where tourists frequent, as well. Do we know anything at all about whether or not the tourist areas have been damaged, or whether or not there have been any casualties there, where tourists may have actually been visiting?

PETERS: There's one report from a coastal area in Colima where a hotel was damaged, and no reports of injuries or serious injuries so far, and we're not hearing any serious reports of injuries or damage in places like Acapulco, which is a major tourist resort on the Pacific coast. Often, Acapulco feels those earthquakes in that region very heavily, and has suffered damage in the past, but this time around, it seems to have gotten away quite easily.

HARRIS: Gretchen, are you there? It sounds as though we may have lost the telephone connection to Gretchen Peters, who was on the phone with us from Mexico City.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com





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