150 route de Ferney, P.O. Box 2100 1211 Geneva 2, Switzerland Tel: 41 22 791 6033 Fax: 41 22 791 6506 Appeal E-mail:
[email protected] Coordinating Office Peru Assistance to earthquake victims – LAPE71 Appeal Target: US$ 852,352 Total requested: US$ 758,357 Geneva, 13 November 2007 Dear Colleagues, On August 15, 2007, an earthquake of a magnitude of 7.0 on the Richter scale occurred 62 kilometers from the city of Pisco, and 262 kilometers to the south of Lima, Peru. The earthquake affected the southwestern part of Lima, on the west coast, along a stretch 186 kilometers long and 70 kilometers wide, covering an area of approximately 13,000 square kilometers. The regions hardest hit were Ica (provinces of Pisco, Ica, and Chincha), Lima (provinces of Cañete and Yauyos) and Huancavelica (provinces of Huaytará and Castrovirreyna). The earthquake resulted in 540 deaths, some 4,200 injuries, 52,000 victims and close to 200,000 persons affected. Approximately 53,000 homes were destroyed and around 22,000 homes were affected, as well as schools, hospitals and health centers. Likewise, 20 kilometers of irrigation canals were destroyed (11 kilometers in Castrovirreyna and 9 in Huaytará), and approximately 44 kilometers of canals were affected. In the days after the disaster, ACT Forum members PREDES, DIACONIA and LWR assessed the damage in areas they are operating in. A RRF was issued to support the population in the provinces of Chincha, Huaytará and Castrovirreyna. PREDES and DIACONIA provided emergency shelters, water deposits and sanitation. They distributed training materials related to hygiene, construction of earthquake resistant housing and assistance to children to cope with disasters.