By Shishir Prashant 
PrashantNews
In less than two months, powerful earthquakes have struck three widely separated countries—Venezuela, Colombia and Indonesia—leaving thousands dead, tens of thousands injured or displaced and entire communities struggling to recover. The disasters have once again exposed one of the most frightening realities of modern disaster management: despite advances in seismology, there is still no reliable system capable of telling people that a major earthquake will strike tomorrow, or even one minute from now.
The first catastrophe came in Venezuela on June 24, when two powerful earthquakes, measuring 7.2 and 7.5, struck in quick succession. The devastation was concentrated particularly in the coastal state of La Guaira and areas around Caracas. The official death toll subsequently climbed above 5,500, with thousands injured and many people left homeless.
On August 10, Colombia was hit by a magnitude 7.4 earthquake centred in Chocó. It was described as the strongest earthquake recorded in the country in the 21st century. Cali, Pereira, Quibdó and other cities suffered extensive damage. By August 16, reports put the death toll at about 290, with more than 140 people still missing and thousands injured.
Just five days later, on August 15, another major earthquake struck eastern Indonesia. The magnitude 7.7 quake hit near Flores and caused widespread destruction. At least 53 or 54 people had died by August 16, more than 1,300 homes had been damaged and thousands of people were displaced. Nearly 1,000 aftershocks were recorded.
The striking coincidence of timing naturally raises a question: are these earthquakes connected?
Scientists see no evidence that they are. Venezuela and Colombia lie in a seismically active region, while Indonesia sits on the Pacific Ring of Fire. The distances between these earthquake zones are enormous, and earthquakes of this scale are generally caused by movements along local tectonic faults rather than by distant earthquakes occurring weeks earlier. The clustering is therefore dramatic, but not evidence of a single global seismic event.
The more important lesson is about preparedness.
There was no reliable advance prediction before any of these earthquakes. Modern science can identify areas at high seismic risk and monitor tectonic activity, but it cannot yet reliably predict the exact time, location and magnitude of a major earthquake. In some countries, early-warning systems can detect the first seismic waves and provide precious seconds before stronger shaking arrives—but that warning comes after the earthquake has already begun.
Indonesia’s tsunami warning following the August 15 quake illustrates the distinction: authorities can sometimes warn of secondary hazards after an earthquake, but they cannot yet tell populations that the earthquake itself is about to happen.
The three disasters therefore underline a sobering truth: the world cannot yet stop earthquakes, nor reliably predict them. It can only prepare better for the moment when the ground suddenly begins to move.
Agrees Dr P C Nawani, a renowned geologist. “We cannot predict earthquakes. There are several research papers which adequately prove that the earthquakes cannot be predicted. I don’t think there is any device which can predict earthquake,” said Dr Nawani