Earthquake in Peru / Terremoto en Perú
On August 15, at 6:34pm local time, a magnitude 7.9 earthquake hit off the coast of Peru. According to the U.S. Geological Survey the epicenter was 25 miles (61 kilometers) west-northwest of Chincha Alta, Peru, and 90 miles (161 kilometers) south-southeast of Lima and the epicenter was 30.2 km depth (18.8 miles).
A tsunami warning was issued for the Pacific region including the following countries; Peru, Chile, Ecuador and Colombia. Strong after shocks continued including a 6.2 earthquake 37 km (23 miles) of Ica and 43 km (27 miles) of Chincha Alta, with a depth of 46 kilometers.
There was interruption of both power and telephone services within Peru and in the capital city of Lima.
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US Geological Survey Peru
Magnitude 8.0 Earthquake
& After Shocks Depth Map
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The last official report issued by the National Institute of Civil Defense (INDECI) informed the situation up to August 18th:
503 dead
1,042 wounded
34,410 houses destroyed according to Peruvian Government preliminary assessments.
495 houses affected.
11 hospitals affected
4 hospitals destroyed according to Peruvian Government preliminary assessments.
Peru's main port in Pisco suffered significant damage and a disruption to trade.
Catastrophe modeler EQECAT Inc. estimated the economic losses to be between (US) $10 to $20 billion with 50% being residential and 50% relating to commercial damage. It is estimated there will be low levels of residential property being insured.
The United Nations (Sistema de Naciones Unidas en el Perú) provides good detailed information of relief efforts in Spanish and English
http://www.onu.org.pe/Publico/CentroPrensa/PrincipalNoticiasEventos.aspx
Author
Ana Rodriguez de Guerrero
Insurance Policy
Country: - Peru
Policy Description: - Many
Insurer: - Many
External Links
United Nations http://www.onu.org.pe/Publico/Infocus/sismoperu_eng.aspx
