On August 15, 2007, at a depth of 25 miles below the Earth’s surface and about 90 miles south of Lima, an earthquake occurred on the central coast of Peru, at the boundary between the Nazca and South American tectonic plates, in a subduction zone where one section of the Earth's crust dives under another.
The earthquake is linked to the crustal movement of convergent boundaries, which occurs when two plates slide towards each other, commonly forming either a subduction zone or a continental collision.
The 7.9 magnitude earthquake caused at least 510 deaths, and injured at least 1,500 people. Buildings collapsed, roads were ripped apart and electricity lines were brought down. Tens of thousands of people fled their homes and thronged the streets to avoid crashing masonry as the earthquake rocked the towns of Pisco, Ica and Chincha. In Lima, thousands ran outside as the tremor struck. Lamp posts collapsed and windows shattered in Lima. Hundreds of workers were evacuated from Lima office buildings after the quake struck and remained outside, fearing aftershocks. While dozens of homes collapsed, there was just one confirmed death. In nearby Ica, close to the epicenter, a quarter of the buildings there were destroyed and 57 bodies brought to the morgue, while many people were killed in their homes as roofs collapsed in the nearby town of Pisco. In Pisco, There were hundreds of dead lying in the streets, and many injured in the hospital. Seventy per cent of the town was devastated. There was no water, no communications, the houses had collapsed, and the churches were destroyed. Chincha, 20 miles north of Pisco, was just as badly hit. A cameraman counted 30 bodies under blood-soaked sheets outside the small town’s badly damaged hospital, where 200 survivors waited in corridors and gardens to be treated. Large parts of the town had been leveled, with houses built of adobe bricks smashed to rubble. Giant cracks, boulders and fallen power cables paralyzed traffic on the Pan-American Highway. It took nearly eight hours for the Red Cross to arrive at Pisco and Ica, after a journey that would normally take less than three hours. Doctors called off a national strike to join in the rescue effort. The earthquake triggered evacuations along the Pacific coast because of fears of a tsunami.
President Alan Garcia said he was sending three cabinet ministers to the worst affected area. The Government of Peru led the response to the earthquake through the National Civil Defence System. It was supported by the military, the private sector 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 Process (CAP) in the wake of the earthquake raised approximately $37 million, $9.5m of which was provided by the Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF).
I think that people in these earthquake-prone countries should be drilled on earthquake procedures and methods to minimize damages.
Bibliography:
By Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2007_Peru_earthquake, extracted 27-02-2010
By Toby Harnden in Washington and Roger Highfield, Science Editor,
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/1560489/Peru-earthquake-kills-500.html, extracted 27-02-2010
By Adelaidenow newspaper, http://www.adelaidenow.com.au/news/world/earthquake-devastates-peru/story-e6frea8l-1111114197924, extracted 27-02-2010
