Cambridge College Humanities Department
Reacting to an Emergency!
The Pisco (Peru) Earthquake of 2007
In this game you will be “in the role” of Peruvian President
Alan Garcia.
Your job is to react to information as it arrives in “real time”, taking
decisions that could save lives.
INITIAL INFORMATION
15th August 20076.40 PM / The Presidential palace is shaken by an Earthquake. The earth movement lasts for nearly two minutes.
The palace is evacuated.
15th August 2007
6.50 PM / The United States Geological Survey (USGS) report that the Earthquake epicentre was 45Km West of Chincha, just off the coast, near the city of Pisco, in the region of Ica.
The capital city, Lima is 150Km to the North.
The Earthquake reached a maximum intensity of 8.0 on the Richter scale.
15th August 2007
6.55 PM / The Pacific Tsunami Warning Centre issue a Tsunami warning for coastal regions of South America, and Tsunami watches in Hawaii and Japan.
15th August 2007
7.00 PM / Lima police chiefs confirm that there is no major damage in the city.
15th August 2007
7.10 PM / News from Ica. A major church has collapsed during mass. There are casualties.
15th August 2007
7.12 PM / Initial reports suggest serious damage and casualties in Chincha. No news from Pisco.
15th August 2007
7.15 PM / Most telephone lines into Ica are down. Cell phone networks are overloaded or down.
15th August 2007
8.00 PM / Sections of the Pan-American highway are severely damaged, restricting access to the disaster area.
15th August 2007
11.00 PM / Monitoring team report back from Pisco. Widespread damage, many dead, many more homeless.
15th August 2007
11.30 PM / Official death toll stands at 41
16th August 2007
06.00 AM / First load of government help arrives by air in Ica.
16th August 2007
09.00 AM / Official death toll has climbed to 62
16th August 2007
9.30 AM / Authorities in Ica report shortages of bottled water and basic emergency medical supplies.
16th August 2007
1.00 PM / Pan-American highway is re-opened, although only limited traffic can pass.
16th August 2007
4.00 PM / Aid starts to arrive by road in major urban centres such as Ica, Chincha, and Pisco. Worries remain about isolated rural communities.
16th August 2007
9.00 PM / Television pictures show corpses piled up in the streets, bodies rotting in the sun.
17th August 2007
7.00 PM / In Ica, huge queues form as people try to get the little bottled water available.
17th August 2007
9.00 PM / Official death toll stands at 189
17th August 2007
12.00 PM / Television pictures show people sleeping in the streets outside their destroyed homes.
Address the nation
Warn people to stay away from low-lying coastal areas
Send people to assess the damage in Pisco
Set up an aerial supply route to get help to Ica, and Pisco
Appeal for International Aid
Set up collection points around the city to collect aid from the public
Organise truck convoys
Send out a team of road engineers and construction workers
Set up temporary shelters for those left homeless
Set up temporary clinics to treat the injured
Set up temporary morgues to safely store corpses
Recording Sheet – How did Peru react to an earthquake emergency?
On this page you should:
- Record what you decided to do
- Note down why you made that decision
Action Taken / ReasonCreated by Geraint Langford 060