International Save the Children Alliance
Earthquake in Peru
Impact
On August 15, 2007, a powerful earthquake measuring 8 on the Richter scale hit the costal district of Ica, 300km south of Lima, the capital of Peru. The earthquake lasted over 5 minutes causing sustained damage to several towns and thousands of homes across the province. The death toll was close to 2,000, and thousands of families lost their homes. Among the hardest hit cities were Pisco and Chincha Alta (combined population 750,000), where vast numbers of structures collapsed. According to the government and international news reports, nearly a quarter of the structures in Ica collapsed, and about 70-80 percent of homes in Pisco and Chincha Alta were destroyed. In addition, nearly 1,000 schools across the country suffered moderate-severe damage, while 112 hospitals were affected, and 14 were destroyed.
Thousands of children and their families were forced to spend nights out in the open in parks and soccer stadiums, increasing their vulnerability to chilly temperatures and the elements. Even while inhabitants were trying to cope with the initial damage, strong tremors continued to rattle the region and further endanger thousands. The lack of food, clean water and medical supplies meant that immediate assistance was needed.
"Many families have been forced from their homes and out into the open," said Rudy Von Bernuth, Save the Children's Director for Alliance Cooperation in Emergencies. "Save the Children is moving quickly to ensure that children, who are among the most vulnerable in any natural disaster, are protected and their families have the means survive this crisis."
Save the Children's Response
Save the Children immediately sent two teams to the hardest-hit areas of Pisco and Chincha Alta to conduct rapid assessments of the needs of children and their families, and to provide lifesaving relief.
Over 100,000 children were affected by the disaster, having lost their homes, their clothes, their food, or their families. Many had been left outside without blankets, shelter or any basic necessities, and were in severe danger of contracting pneumonia or other potentially fatal respiratory diseases. Severe damage to roads and to communications networks was an initial impediment to rescue and relief efforts.
Save the Children distributed life-saving blankets, cold-climate tents, shelter kits, and kitchen equipment to endangered families made homeless by the earthquake. We also distributed food and drinking water, warm clothes, provided almost 2,000 emergency shelters equipped with child safe spaces, and psychosocial support for adults and children in the Pueblo Nuevo district.
Additionally, world renowned Peruvian photographer Mario Testino's most famous print of Diana, Princess of Wales, was auctioned at Philips De Pury on November 20, 2007. The iconic print first seen in Vanity Fair in 1997 sold for £46,100, more than double the reserve price, and all funds went towards Save the Children's work in the photographer's homeland.