2007 Peru earthquake

Earthquake
title=2007 Peru earthquake
date= August 15 2007

---

Map of the Peru coastline, showing location and strength of quake. Star marks epicenter.
magnitude = 8.0 M_w
depth=39 kilometres (24.2 mi)
location=coord|13.32|S|76.51|W|display=inline,title
countries affected = PER
casualties = 519 confirmed deadcite news|url=http://www.reliefweb.int/rw/RWB.NSF/db900SID/EKOI-7723GT?OpenDocument|date=2007-09-14|title=Peru Civil Defense Updates Damages|accessdate=2007-09-14]
1,366 injuredcite news|url=http://www.reliefweb.int/rw/RWB.NSF/db900SID/EKOI-7723GT?OpenDocument|date=2007-09-14|title=Peru Civil Defense Updates Damages|accessdate=2007-09-14] The 2007 Peru earthquake was an earthquake measuring 8.0 on the moment magnitude scalecite web|url=http://earthquake.usgs.gov/eqcenter/eqinthenews/2007/us2007gbcv/|title=Magnitude 8.0 - NEAR THE COAST OF CENTRAL PERU|accessdate=2007-08-15|publisher=USGS] that hit the central coast of Peru on Wednesday August 15, 2007; it occurred at 23:40:58 UTC (18:40:58 local time) and lasted for about three minutes.cite web|url=http://khatati.igp.gob.pe/Webs/cns06/reportes/2007/sism_150807.pdf|title=Preliminar Inform|publisher="Peruvian Geophysics Institute"|date=2007-08-15|accessdate=2008-05-08] The epicenter was located at 150 kilometres (93 mi) south-southeast of Lima at a depth of 39 kilometres (24.2 miles).The United States Geological Survey National Earthquake Information Center reported that it was a very strong earthquake.

Aftermath

The Government of Peru led the response to the earthquake through the National Civil Defence System ( Sistema Nacional de Defensa Civil – SINADECI ). It 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 NGOs and UN agencies. The initial response entailed searching for survivors, evacuating the injured, removing rubble, ensuring security and meeting the needs of affected people. Shelter was provided for those that had lost their homes, latrines were installed, clean water and medical services were established, food aid was distributed and education and psychosocial support was offered, especially to children. A Consolidated Appeals Proccess (CAP) in the wake of the earthquake raised approximately $37 million, $9.5m of which was provided by the Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF).

Despite the considerable relief effort, the initial response was chaotic, marked by a lack of coordination and inadequate information on the needs of people on the ground and hindered by a lack of capacity at the regional level and consequent political wrangling (particularly between the local, regional and national governments). [cite web|url=http://www.odi.org.uk/hpg/papers/wpaffectedstate-peru.pdf|last=Elhawary and Castillo|title=The role of the affected state: a case study on the Peruvian earthquake response|accessdate=2008-08-14|publisher=Overseas Development Institute] However, as time passed the response became better organised, particularly once an OCHA coordination office was established in Pisco and a UN Disaster Assessment and Coordination (UNDAC) team arrived to support coordination and provide technical advice.

The cities of Pisco, Ica and Chincha Alta in the Ica Region, and San Vicente de Cañete in the Lima Region were most affected, but the earthquake was also felt in the capital Lima, where the quake broke windows in downtown sectors of the city, as well as various other Peruvian cities, including Pucallpa, Iquitos, Contamana, Trujillo and Cajamarca. Seventeen people died when a church in the city of Ica collapsed and 70 were injured. [cite web|url=http://www.breitbart.com/article.php?id=D8R1RA2G1&show_article=1|last=Josephs|first=Leslie|title=Strong Quake Kills at Least 17 in Peru|accessdate=2007-08-15|publisher=Associated Press] They were attending mass at the time the earthquake started. More than 58,000 homes were destroyed. [cite web|url=http://www.reliefweb.int/rw/RWB.NSF/db900SID/KKAA-77F8GD?OpenDocument&rc=2&emid=EQ-2007-000133-PER/|title="Earthquake in Peru: Situation Report No. 20," United Nations Country Team Peru] The city of Pisco, which is 260 km (160 mi) southeast of Lima, was about 80% destroyed, and as many as 430 people living there died, with 148 of those deaths happening in a collapsed cathedral in the city's main square. [cite web|url=http://www.nytimes.com/2007/08/25/world/americas/25peru.html?_r=1&hp&oref=slogin|last=Barrionuevo|first=Alexei|title=Quake Orphan reflects Peru's Loss and Anger|accessdate=2007-08-24|pubisher=New York Times] The government reported 510 deaths.cite news |url=http://www.reuters.com/article/newsOne/idUSN1629631020070816|publisher=Reuters|date=2007-08-16|accessdate=2007-08-16 |title=Earthquake in Peru kills hundreds] [cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/6948888.stm|publisher=BBC News|date=2007-08-16|title=Scores killed by Peru earthquake|accessdate=2007-08-16]

A magnitude 5.8 aftershock occurred at 19:02 local time, centered 113 kilometres (70 mi) northeast of Chincha Altacite news |url=http://www.cnn.com/2007/WORLD/americas/08/15/peru.earthquake/index.html |publisher=CNN |date=2007-08-15 |accessdate=2007-08-16 |title=Deadly Earthquake Strikes Peru] At 19:19 local time, another 5.9 magnitude aftershock occurred, centered 48 kilometres (30 mi) south-southwest of Ica. At least a dozen aftershocks of magnitude 5.0 or greater have been recorded. [cite web|publisher=USGS|title=Earthquake List for Map of South America|url=http://earthquake.usgs.gov/eqcenter/recenteqsww/Maps/region/S_America_eqs.php|accessdate=2007-08-16] cite web|url=http://www.peru21.com/p21online/Html/2007-08-15/onp2portada077052212552455544440.html|title=Instituto Geofísico informó de unas 70 réplicas tras el terremoto|accessdate=2007-08-15|publisher=Peru21|language=Spanish]

The day after, survivors who could not be accommodated in local hospitals in Pisco were taken to Lima by airplane, arriving there later that night. On Sunday, August 19, President of Colombia Álvaro Uribe arrived in Ica.

Tectonic summary

This earthquake occurred at the boundary between the Nazca and South American tectonic plates, which are converging at a rate of 78 mm (3.1 in) per year. The earthquake occurred as thrust faulting on the interface between the two plates, with the South American Plate moving up and seaward over the Nazca Plate. Experts say this kind of earthquake is produced about once every 100 years.cite web| url=http://www.lukor.com/not-mun/america/0510/05221110.htm| author=Europa Press| title=Perú.- Un terremoto de gran intensidad podría registrar en breve algún punto de la geografía peruana, según un experto| accessdate=2007-08-15 |publisher=Lukor |language=Spanish]

Coastal Peru has a history of very large earthquakes. The August 15 shock originated near the source of two previous earthquakes, both in the magnitude 8 range occurring in 1908 and 1974. This earthquake is south of the source of a magnitude 8.2 earthquake that occurred in northern Peru in 1966 and north of a magnitude 8.3 earthquake that occurred in 2001 near Arequipa in southern Peru. The largest earthquake along the coast of Peru was a magnitude 9 that occurred in 1868. It produced a tsunami that killed several thousand people along the South American coast and also caused damage in Hawaii.

Tsunami warnings

A tsunami warning was issued for Peru, Ecuador, Chile, Colombia and even as far as Hawaii following the earthquakes, but was later cancelled, [cite web|url=http://www.reuters.com/article/topNews/idUSN1529452420070816?feedType=RSS&feedName=topNews&rpc=22&sp=true|accessdate=2007-08-15|title=Tsunami warnings issued after earthquake in Peru|publisher=Reuters] although some areas of the port city of Callao were evacuated. Tsunami warnings were also made for Panama and Costa Rica, and a tsunami watch was posted for Nicaragua, Guatemala, El Salvador, Mexico and Honduras. All alerts were cancelled after a convert|25|cm|in|sing=on|0 tsunami came ashore. [cite news|publisher=Belfast Telegraph|title=Death toll from Peru earthquake rises to at least 330| date=2007-08-16|url=http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/breaking-news/world/south-america/article2867213.ece|accessdate=2007-08-16]

A tsunami warning was also issued by the Japan Meteorological Agency stating that waves higher than 20 centimetres (8 in) could reach Japan's northern island, Hokkaidō, on Thursday, August 16, around 19:00 UTC (Friday, 04:00 JST). [cite web|publisher=Japan News Review| title=Tsunamis caused by Peru earthquake might reach Japan|url=http://www.japannewsreview.com/society/national/20070816page_id=1559|accessdate=2007-08-16]

However the tsunami did exist in the Peruvian coasts. It flooded part of Lima's Costa Verde highway, and much of Pisco's shore. It has been reported that the tsunami reached as high as 5 meters in the zone of Lagunillas in Pisco neighbourhood's town Paracas cite web|url=http://khatati.igp.gob.pe/Webs/cns06/reportes/2007/sism_150807.pdf|title=Preliminar Inform|publisher="Peruvian Geophysics Institute"|date=2007-08-15|accessdate=2008-05-08] .

ee also

* Earthquakes in Peru

References

External links

* [http://www.charitynavigator.org/index.cfm/bay/content.view/cpid/635.htm Charity Navigator's list of highly-rated charities providing aid]
* [http://noticiero.zoomblog.com/archivo/2007/08/17/terremoto-En-Peru.html Perú earthquake: Videos]