News Report on Peru Earthquake, 2007

The 8.0 magnitude earthquake happened on Wednesday, August 15, 2007, at 23:40:58 UTC, lasting for about three minutes. It happened in the area south of Lima, the capital city of Peru.

the capital of Peru.

The South American plate moving seaward over the Nazca plate caused a break in the Earth’s crust by the interference between the two plates (thrust faulting), which resulted in the earthquake. Experts say this type of earthquake is brought about approximately once every one hundred years.

The devastating earthquake destroyed more than 58,000 homes, leaving tens of thousands of people homeless, with at least 150,000 people affected. Seventeen people died in the city of Ica, when a church had collapsed and seventy were left injured. These people were attending mass when the earthquake started.

In the city of Pisco, 260km south-east of Lima, was about eighty percent destroyed, killing at least 430 residents, including 148 of those deaths a result of a collapsed cathedral in the city's main square. It was reported by the government a total of 510 deaths.

Some of the towns that were hit hardest by the earthquake were without electricity and effectively cut off from the remaining areas of the country. Relief workers said that it may take days to reach certain areas. On the ground, residents were in demand for blankets, clothing and food.

By Thursday, 16 August, 2007, 5p.m, there had been more than 360 aftershocks, with some as strong as magnitude 6, with at least 12 aftershocks of magnitude 5.0 recorded.

A tsunami warning was issued for coastal locations of Peru, Chile, Ecuador and Colombia. Also, a minor tsunami was detected, but it posed no threat and the warning was later lifted, according the reports of news services.

The Government of Peru guided the response through the National Defense System and was supported by the military, the private sector (local, national and international) and by contributions from civil society and the international community, including governments, international non-government organizations and UN agencies. The response included searching for survivors, evacuating the injured, removing rubble, ensuring security and meeting the demands of the people affected. Shelter was provided for the victims who had lost their homes, latrines were installed, clean water and medical services were set up, food aid was distributed and education and psychosocial support was provided, especially for children. Approximately 37 million dollars were raised in the wake of the earthquake by a Consolidated Appeals Process, and 9.5 million dollars were provided by the Central Emergency Response Fund.

There are many factors that affect the amount of damage inflicted from such events. Upgrading the quality of houses built and structuring them to be disaster-resistant is one way of minimizing the damage from such events.

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