OCHA Situation Report No. 5
Peru - Earthquake
28 June 2001


Situation

1.  An earthquake registering 4.4 on the Richter Scale struck at 28
kilometers southwest of the city of Ocoņa in the Department of Arequipa.
No new casualties or damages reported following this event.

2.  Total deaths 115; Injured 1,529; Missing 53; Total population affected
73,391 ; Affected/destroyed housing: 21,189.


National Response

3.  The Government will rehabilitate 1,000 classrooms provisionally in the
170 schools that were affected in Arequipa, Moquegua, Ayacucho and Tacna
at a cost of US$ 4 million. Classes have been suspended.

4.  The Ministry for Women and Human Development will distribute food for
75,000 persons for ten days through the National Program for Food
Assistance ; the Minister of Agriculture will expedite lines of credit for
the rehabilitation of irrigation systems; the Ministry of Health has
appealed to the public to donate blood.


Request for International Assistance

5.  The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has called a meeting with donor
Governments and humanitarian organizations represented in Lima, on
Thursday 28 June 2001.  At this meeting the National Institute for Civil
Defense will provide information on the emergency situation and relief
requirements.


Coordination

6.  The UNDAC Team in situ working in close coordination with 10 teams
composed of specialists from PAHO, UNDP, UNICEF, WFP, Red Cross, Swiss
Disaster Relief, and government organizations, INDECI and health and
education sectors.  The UNDAC Team is assisting INDECI in the preparation
of a map identifying areas with affected persons and the organizations
working in that area. This map will be placed on the Internet tomorrow
(address will be advised).

7.       The IDB Mission will visit the affected regions in the next two
days  in relation to the US$20 million emergency loan requested by the
Government.

8.  The UNDP disaster expert has reported on infrastructural damage to the
University of San Agustin, hospitals, and housing in the city of Arequipa.  
Thirty percent of the University's buildings require reconstruction.  The
two hospitals have been seriously damaged. The capacity of one of
hospitals has been halved. The other hospital is operative but seriously
weakened, and could suffer severe damage in another earthquake. Damage to
housing is considerably more severe than can be observed from the street.

9.  The United Nations Resident Coordinator has called a second meeting of
the in country United Nations team for Thursday 28 June 2001 (after the
meeting convened by the Government). 10.  Further to the actions mentioned
in OCHA Situation Report no.3, of 26 June 2001, UNICEF is carrying out the
following actions:

- Assessment missions in Moquegua and in remote areas in the vicinity of
Camana concerning the situation of children, in close cooperation with
Children and Adolescent Defense Centres in the region and community
kitchens, in order to establish possibilities of using their
infrastructure for distribution of infant food (papillas) for children
between 6 months and 3 years of age;

- Provision of psychological support for children and adolescents, in
cooperation with the Ministries of Health, Education, Women and Human
Development.  They will prepare and distribute 5,000 school backpacks with
basic supplies for children, and 500 school packets for teachers and
communicational interventions.

- Seeking support for infant food from the Peru-Canada Counterpart Fund in
Lima.

- Preparing a first shipment of medicines including antibiotics,
antimicotic, and fever and pain relief medicines for 1,200 persons for two
months, 9,300 ORS sachets and 180 re-hydration kits for acute diarrhea
diseases.

- Coordination activities in Arequipa carried out by a Communications
Officer, who is working with the UNDAC team, Regional Transitory
Administration Committee (CTAR), and DFID/UK; 11.  A PAHO/WHO expert,
together with the OFDA mission and representatives of the National
Institute for Civil Defense, is evaluating the damages by air. He has
informed that there has been severe damage to housing in the rural areas
of Tacna and that it will be necessary to mobilize humanitarian assistance
to these areas including integrated response to health requirements and
the provision of water 12.  PAHO will be sending integrated packages to
promote mental health in the affected areas, particularly in the coastal
areas affected by the giant waves, to alleviate the fear of a recurrence
of giant waves.  Three teams of epidemiologists from the Ministry of
Health have been mobilized with the support of PAHO/WHO to strengthen the
disease surveillance network and manage information and outbreaks at the
local levels. 13.  The Supplies Management System (SUMA) has been
installed in the three principal points of arrival and distribution of
aid: Arequipa, Tacna, and Moquegua.  The SUMA teams began to operate in
these three localities with local personnel trained previously with the
technical support of PAHO/WHO. 14.  PAHO/WHO is collaborating with the
evaluation team of the Office of US Foreign Disaster Assistance (OFDA).
This team is supporting the Ministry of Health in the damage and needs
assessment by land and air in inaccessible areas. They have mobilized
computers and software to improve the management of SUMA by local
personnel in Moquegua and Tacna. 15.  For detailed information on medical
needs, interested donors may contact the Emergency Preparedness and
Disaster Relief Coordination Program - Pan American Health Organization
(PAHO/WHO) through the following contact numbers:  Phone no: +1
202-974-33.99 / Fax no: +1 202-77545.78 / e-mail: disaster@paho.org


Contributions

16.  An updated report on contributions (as of 28 June 2001) is attached.  
Information on contributions to this disaster may be found by clicking on
Financial Tracking on the OCHA internet website, www.reliefweb.int.

17.  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, available electronically on the above-mentioned
Financial Tracking Website.

18.  OCHA is prepared to serve as channel for cash contributions to be
used for immediate relief assistance, in co-ordination/consultation with
relevant organizations in the United Nations system. Funds should be
transferred to OCHA account no.  CO-590.160.0, Swift code: UBSWCHZ12A at
the UBS AG, P.O.  Box 2770, CH-1211 Geneva 2, with reference:  "OCHA -
Peru - Earthquake"  OCHA provides donors with written confirmation and
pertinent details concerning the utilization of the funds contributed.

19.  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:
  Mr. Erik Haegglund / Mr. Carlos Pereira / Ms. Masayo Kondo
  Direct tel: +41-22-917 32 99/13 83/19 97

Press contact:
  Ms. Madeleine Moulin-Acevedo, Direct tel. +41-22-917 31 60


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