OCHA Situation Report No. 3
Peru - Earthquake
26 June 2001


Latest figures show 97 people dead and approximately 47,000 affected

Situation

1.  According to the UN Resident Coordinator's Office in Lima, there have
been 138 aftershocks including three strong earthquakes. The first one
registering 4.3 on the Richter Scale, struck the Department of Arequipa at
12:52 local time. The epicenter was located some 61 kilometers to the
south-west of Ocona. The second earthquake, registering 5.0 on the Richter
Scale, struck the Department of Tacna. The epicenter was located some 10
kilometers to the northeast of the town of Locumba. The third earthquake,
registering 6.6 on the Richter Scale, struck on 25 June near the coast of
southern Peru about 115 kilometers west- northwest of Tacna or 150
kilometers south of Arequipa at 11:18 PM local time.

2.  As reported by the National Institute for Civil Defence, (INDECI), the
death toll is now of 97 people dead (Arequipa 68, Moquegua 16, Tacna 13).  
1,169 people have been wounded, 53 are missing and approximately 47,000
have been affected.


Housing

3.  Some 9,500 houses have been damaged or destroyed. According to the
International Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies
(IFRC)  and the Peruvian Red Cross, more than 90% of the houses in
Moquegua are damaged and of these 40% have been destroyed.


Road infrastructure

4.  Civil Defence reports that the roads within the Departments of
Arequipa and Moquegua are slowly being opened. The roads to Camana, Ilo
and Matarani continue to be blocked due to the obstruction on the
Pan-American Highway.  The work to repair the Locumba bridge on the
Pan-American Highway continues.


Health and water supplies

5.  According to the Pan-American Health Organization (PAHO/WHO),
pipelines for drinking water and solid waste disposal have collapsed in
several localities and tanker trucks are being used to distribute drinking
water.  Health teams from the Ministry of Health and the Social Security
have been deployed to southern Peru with additional medicines and
supplies. The most seriously injured patients in Moquegua have been
evacuated by air to Arequipa, where better conditions exist to treat the
injured.


Damage to health facilities

6.  Serious damage has been reported in several health facilities in
Arequipa, in particular in the Goyeneche Hospital where patients and
equipment have been evacuated to other parts of the hospital. No major
damage has been reported in Moquegua. In Tacna, four floors of the
Hipolito Unanue Hospital were evacuated and the auditorium and psychiatric
wings have been reconditioned to treat those who were hospitalized.


Education

7.  School classes have been suspended for a week due, not only to
destruction and deterioration of buildings, but because they are being
used as shelters.


Communications

8.  The telephone company, Telefonica , is rehabilitating the
communication infrastructure in the affected areas.  Calls are free of
charge from public telephones in Ilo, Moquegua, Ocoņa, and Camana and from
those located in the central squares of Arequipa and Tacna .


Industry and agriculture

9.  Industry in Tacna has been affected with the destruction of the brick
factories and damaged mills. The entire harvest of onions and maize from
the Department of Arequipa was destroyed due to giant waves, which struck
Camana. In the latter, some thousands hectares of agricultural land were
destroyed.


National Response

10.  The National Committee for the Rehabilitation of the Affected Areas
has been established.  It will be presided by the President of the Council
of Ministers and composed by the Ministers or representatives of the
Ministries of Economy, Justice, Education, Health, Agriculture, Transport
and Communications, Housing, Fishery, Presidency and the National
Institute of Culture.


11.  The head of the National Institute for Civil Defence, reported that
the process of evaluation of the catastrophe in the south of the country
continues. The affected population will be provided with materials
currently available, such as tents and blankets. The Air Force and
National Police have dispatched seven flights with relief supplies to the
affected areas.  Preparations are being made to transport an additional 25
tons of food and supplies.  A registry of the affected population will be
established to ensure the relief assistance reaches the most needy.


12.  Telefonica will install, in coordination with INDECI, a system for
the search of missing persons in different points of Arequipa, Moquegua
and Tacna.


13.  The Government has undertaken budgetary reassignments. Five million
Soles (approximately, USD 1.4 million) have already been disbursed, but it
is expected that 20 million Soles more will be disbursed this week. Water
and sanitary services will be restored with financial resources from the
regional governments and the National Institute for Development. The Bank
of Materials will provide loans for the construction of housing.


14.  According to PAHO/WHO the Peru's Ministry of Health will:

- Convene a meeting to prepare a list of needed medicines and supplies.

- Mobilize, with the support of PAHO/WHO, engineers and architects
specialized in evaluating damage to health infrastructure and equipment in
Arequipa, Tacna and Moquegua.

- Coordinate the urgent dispatch of 20-liter containers (300) to Moquegua
and chlorine tablets, with support from UNICEF.

- Strengthen links with Peru's Civil Defence by placing health personnel
in INDECI.

- Designate health professionals to participate in OFDA's assessment
mission (PAHO/WHO will also participate in this mission).

- Set up a health "Situation Room"  with the department of Epidemiology
and the support of PAHO/WHO.


15.  The Peruvian Episcopal Conference has launched an assistance campaign
denominated, Solidarity with the South . They have collected so far USD
100,000.


16.  The Peruvian Red Cross has a team of 430 volunteers undertaking
rescue operations and transport of the victims.


International Response

17.  The Government has not formally requested international assistance.


18.  UN System

- The United Nations Resident Coordinator called a meeting of the United
Nations Disaster Management Team on 25 June, to inform on UNDAC activities
and to provide a forum for the sharing of inter-agency activities.

- The United Nations Disaster Assessment and Coordination (UNDAC) Team has
been working since 24 June under the leadership of the United Nations
Resident Coordinator.  The UNDAC mission includes a Peruvian disaster
management expert of the national NGO PREDES and an Ecuadorian Geologist,
who serves in a dual capacity as UNDAC member and leader of a five-member
assessment team dispatched by the Swiss Disaster Relief (SDR). A third
UNDAC member who has been working for National Civil Defence in the
disaster zone since the beginning of the emergency also provides essential
liaison from Moquegua.

- The United Nations Resident Coordinator and SDR have established a joint
coordination cell in the UNDP office in Lima. Establishment of a joint
SDR-UN field liaison cell is also planned today in Arequipa with the
assistance of the SDR/UN assessment team. This will be closely coordinated
with Civil Defence and regional authorities in the disaster area as well
as national and NGO partners. SDR, together with UNDP experts also
dispatched to the zone, will be carrying out assessments in the various
affected areas in collaboration with national counterparts.

- OCHA has activated the Virtual OSOCC for exchange of real-time
information regarding the activities of international response teams. More
information also appears on www.reliefweb.int

- OCHA has allocated an emergency grant of USD30,000 for immediate relief
assistance.

- PAHO is carrying out damage assessment to hospital infrastructure and
jointly with UNICEF assessing requirements for medicines.

- UNICEF has co-ordinated with PAHO/WHO to locate and support population
geographically dispersed and distant from urban centres. Contact has been
established with the Civil Defence Office of the National Health Defence
System in order to work in a co-ordinated manner. UNICEF assistance also
includes:

- Medicines:  antibiotics for respiratory diseases, re-hydration salts for
diarrhea.

- Nutrition programme which includes infant food (papillas) for children
between 6 months and 3 years of age.

- Ensuring that children recover their normal lives as soon as possible.  
This includes, communication interventions to prevent and avoid family
disintegration and working together with defence centres, community and
local governments, making all efforts possible for their rapid return to
school.

- A social communication programme to provide social and psychological
support for children including kits, printed and video material already
validated in Peru for this kind of emergencies.

- Social Surveillance particularly regarding the situation in most remote
areas.

- World Food Programme (WFP)  has made available US$200,000 for local food
purchases.


19 .  Governments

- France has donated 1,000 blankets, 200 five- person tents, and 14,000
food rations.

- Japan has announced a donation of USD500,000 and an aircraft is expected
on Wednesday with 40 tents, 2000 blankets, water tanks and generators.

- The Government of Norway has donated through the Norwegian Reserve Fund,
managed by OCHA, USD 20,000.

- The Spanish Agency for International Cooperation (AECI) will send
aircrafts carrying 20 and 40 tons of relief supplies such as, tents, warm
clothing, blankets, water, and food with a value of about 15 and 20
million pesetas respectively.

- Switzerland : A Rapid Response Team of five experts from the Swiss
Disaster Relief, which will be supporting the UNDAC team, has been
deployed to Peru. In addition Switzerland has approved USD 120,000 for
emergency assistance.

- The United Kingdom has donated USD350,000. The resources will be
channeled through the British Red Cross and will be used for rescue
operations and shelter.

- European Commission ?ECHO -: 1.150.000 euro (approximately USD 1
million)  , through NGOs (Spanish Red Cross, Oxfam, Save the Children,
Medicos del Mundo, IFRC).

- The World Bank and the Interamerican Development Bank have sent teams to
assess the damages. At the Government's request, the Interamerican
Development Bank has approved an emergency loan of US$20 million to
finance the reconstruction of the affected cities. The Minister of Economy
and Finance said the loan could be disbursed within the next weeks while
disbursements are made from remaining funds from other loans.

- A USAID aircraft is arriving today bringing plastic sheeting for
temporary shelter.


20.  International Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies

- The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies
announced that it is planning to send an aircraft from its base in Panama,
with emergency relief supplies, e.g. tents, blankets and food.

- The IFRC has appealed for USD 1.1 million in cash, kind and services to
assist the victims for two months.

- The British Red Cross has sent two coordinators to the affected areas.

- The Japanese Red Cross has sent a four member medical team.

- The Spanish and German Red Cross teams are present in the country.  The
Spanish Red Cross is preparing a second shipment. The previous shipment
amounted to 5 million pesetas (approximately USD 26,000).


21.  NGOs

- Caritas and Diakone will together provide USD50,000 for immediate relief
assistance. A spokesperson from Caritas International in Friburg, informed
that these resources would provide 25,000 persons with food, water,
medicines, tents and blankets.  These organizations have established bank
accounts to collect donations.

- The offices of Save the Children in Peru will be working in three
affected areas: 1.  In the southern areas of the Department of Ayacucho
under the coordination of Save the Children Canada, 2.  In marginal and
rural areas of Moquegua under the coordination of Save the Children UK. 3.  
Arequipa and Camana under the coordination of Save the Children Sweden.


The assistance will focus on infants, distribution of supplies,
reconstruction, basic services and psycho - social factors.

- Save the Children offices are managing resources from the Governments of
Great Britain, Ireland, Canada, Sweden and European Commission - ECHO.


22.  Information on contributions to this disaster may be found by
clicking on Financial Tracking on the OCHA internet website,
www.reliefweb.int.

23.  For coordination purposes, donors are requested to inform OCHA
Geneva, on relief missions/pledges/contributions and their corresponding
values by item.  Donors are encouraged to notify OCHA Geneva of their
contributions to this disaster using the OCHA Standardised Contributions
Recording Format.

24.  This Situation Report and further information on ongoing emergencies
are also available on the OCHA website at http://www.reliefweb.int


Telephone: +41-22-91712 34
Fax: +41-22-917 00 23
E-mail: ochagva@un.org

In case of emergency only: Tel. +41-22-917 20 10

Desk Officers (OCHA Disaster Response Branch):
  Mr. Erik Haegglund / Mr. Carlos Pereira / Ms. Masayo Kondo
  Direct tel: +41-22-917 32 99/13 83/19 97

Press contact:
  Ms. M. Moulin-Acedo, direct Tel. +41-22-917 26 53


distributed by
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Center for International Disaster Information
Volunteers in Technical Assistance
                                          web: www.cidi.org
                                     listserv: www.cidi.org/listsub.htm
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
comments/suggestions/requests to incident@cidi.org