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Peru

Earthquake in Peru: Situation Report No. 7

Attachments

12:00 hours

Situation

1. At 11:40:58 PM UTC/GMT (Greenwich time) 6:34:56 PM local time on August 15th, an earthquake measuring 7.9 degrees in the Richter scale struck in the Department of Ica. The epicenter was 25 miles (61 kilometers) west-northwest of Chincha Alta, Peru, and 90 miles (161 kilometers) south-southeast of Lima, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. The epicenter was 30.2 km depth (18.8 miles). The effects were also strongly felt in Lima capital.

2. The last official report issued by the National Institute of Civil Defense (INDECI) informed the situation up to August 21st, 07:00 hrs:

503 dead

1,042 wounded

35,568 houses destroyed according to Peruvian Government preliminary assessments.

4,265 houses affected.

19 hospitals affected.

2 hospitals destroyed according to Peruvian Government preliminary assessments.

National Response

1. The Government of Peru continues with the air bridge that reaches the city of Pisco, in order to deliver humanitarian supplies and facilitate the deployment of international relief aid and aid workers.

2. With the help of SEDAPAL (Lima Water Corporation) specialists and others, water service is being gradually reestablished in the cities of Imperial (Cañete) and Chincha (Ica). 40% of the population of Imperial is now receiving water service, but most of the people are still supplied by tankers.

In other towns in the province of Cañete, such as Lunahuana and San Luis, there are shortages in water service. In Chilca, supply is assured by tankers due to the lack of electric power.

In Pisco, water is supplied in tankers in the 14 points where aid is being distributed. SEDAPAL is working full time to reestablish water service.

In Ica, 75% of the population has water service because electric service has been reestablished, while the other 25% are supplied with tankers.

SUNASS (National Sanitation Authority) announced that the first water purification facility is already working and that six more will follow shortly. 3 of them are a Mexican donation and the rest are a Spanish donation.

3. In spite of all the efforts, however, SUNASS warns that more tankers and electric equipment are needed to improve water supply.