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Institute for Crisis, Disaster, and Risk Management Crisis and Emergency Management Newsletter Website |
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October/November
2007
Volume 13 - Number
1/2 |
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Earthquake in Peru 2007 By Nuala Cowan On the 15th of August 2007, 6:40pm local time, an
earthquake measuring 8 on the Richter scale hit the Department of Ica, located
on the central Peruvian coastline.
Although effects of the quake were felt strongly in the capital, Lima, the cities of Pisco, Ica, Chincha, and San Vicente de Cañete were worst affected. The Peruvian government mobilized both nationally and internationally to address the crisis. A state of emergency was declared for the affected regions and within hours the National Civil Defense Institute (INDECI) assessment team was deployed to the worst affected provinces of Ica and Chincha. Additional medical teams were also deployed to the city of Ica to support the local hospitals (1). President Alan García opted to take direct charge of the situation, moving the presidential office to an air force base in Pisco and gathering his Cabinet to work with him there. Reports from the first twenty fours hours indicated that throughout the affected region at least 450 people had lost their lives, with an additional 1,500 or more injured (2). The hard-hit port town of Pisco, 135 miles south of Lima, was all but leveled. It has been reported that Pisco, (a town of over 60,000 people), lost over 70% of its infrastructure, including it’s cathedral, which collapsed during the initial tremors, killing over 300 people (3). According to the U.S. Geological Survey, the epicenter (at a dept of 18.8 miles) was located roughly 25 miles west-northwest of Chincha Alta, Peru, and 90 miles south-southeast of the capital Lima (4). Peru, and most of the South American Pacific Coast, is on the border of two tectonic plates: The South American plate, which includes most of the continent, and the Nazca plate, which extends across the Pacific along most of the coast (5). The last official report issued by the National Institute of Civil Defense (INDECI) on August 28th, confirmed 519 dead and 1,366 wounded. 58,581 homes, and 14 hospitals have been destroyed, and damaged premises have been reported in the excess of 20,000. As of September 24, Caritas del Peru report that 40,000 families continues to live in makeshift shelters on the footprints of their previous dwellings, and more than 20,000 are in collective shelters (6). The main emergency needs in the earthquake-affected areas are rubble removal, water and sanitation, and shelter provision. (7) The removal of rubble in particular poses an obstacle to movement of aid and resources, not to mention the reestablishment of public infrastructure. President García has promised that that 8,000 local people will be hired for a rebuilding program, with a budget of $95m. The government has also granted $1,900 to each family whose home was destroyed, and money for funeral expenses and for the injured. One of the first priorities is the reconstruction of the collapsed Pan American Highway that stretches Peru’s coast, and remains the primary economic artery of the region. This infrastructure is vital to agricultural economy of the region (8). To date USAID/OFDA has provided $1.5 million through USAID/Peru to implementing partners, including the Peruvian Red Cross, CARE, Caritas, and World Vision to support relief efforts. In addition to financial assistance, USAID/OFDA has delivered emergency relief commodities via airlifts, and, following the August 16 U.S. Ambassador’s disaster declaration for Peru, more than 50 personnel from the Department of State, USAID/Peru, USAID/OFDA, and the DOD’s Military Assistance Advisory Group (MAAG) were in the affected areas, conducting assessments, coordinating with the GOP, providing emergency medical treatment and relief supplies, and assisting American citizens (7). References 1. ReliefWeb: UN Situation Report No. 1 (Last Accessed: 9/27/07) http://www.reliefweb.int/rw/rwb.nsf/db900sid/LSGZ-769GAR?OpenDocument&rc=2&emid=EQ-2007-000133-PER 2. Reuters: “Peru earthquake kills 450, bodies in streets” (Last Accessed: 9/27/07) http://www.reuters.com/article/topNews/idUSN1629631020070816?feedType=RSS&feedName=topNews 3. New York Times: “Earthquake in Peru kills hundreds” (Last Accessed: 9/27/07) http://www.nytimes.com/2007/08/16/world/americas/16cnd-peru.html?ref=world 4. USGS: “Magnitude 8.0 - Near The Coast Of Central Peru” (Last Accessed: 9/27/07) http://earthquake.usgs.gov/eqcenter/recenteqsww/Quakes/us2007gbcv.php 5. CNN: “Deadly Earthquake strikes Peru” (Last Accessed: 9/27/07) http://www.cnn.com/2007/WORLD/americas/08/15/peru.earthquake/index.html 6. Trócaire Report, September 24, 2007 (Last Accessed: 9/27/07) http://www.reliefweb.int/rw/rwb.nsf/db900sid/TBRL-77CQ5P?OpenDocument&rc=2&emid=EQ-2007-000133-PER 7. USAID: “USAID assists Peru after devastating earthquake” (Last Accessed: 9/27/07) http://www.usaid.gov/locations/latin_america_caribbean/perueq/ 8. The Economist: “After Disaster Struck” (Last Accessed: 9/27/07) http://www.economist.com/world/la/displaystory.cfm?story_id=9688061 |