Villages in the region of Al-Eis were shaken by two new significant tremors on Saturday, registering 3.7 and 3.82 degrees on the Richter scale. Civil Defense sources in Hail said that all staff vacations had been suspended to raise the level of readiness for any emergency. Civil Defense chief in the region of Madina, Saleh Al-Muhawwis, said preparations had been made to execute a compulsory evacuation and “deal with those residents reluctant to leave their houses and move to emergency shelters.” “An indication of danger is the detection of gas and smoke emissions from the volcanic fields, or other signs like building collapses and cracking of houses walls,” Al-Muhawwis said. The two new tremors followed remarks from Zuhair Nawwab, President of the Saudi Geological Survey, that volcanic activity had declined at the volcanic fields in the area of Madina. The SGS, he added, was planning to set up a digital network around volcanic fields in the country to monitor earthquake activity and a thermal measurements network around some wells in Harrat Al-Shaqqah. He said that the Arabian Peninsula moved less than one centimeter a year, which could be detected by devices. – Okaz/SG (With contributions from Muhammad Al-Musaik and Miteb Al
