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Harris Whitbeck on Peru's severe quake

Mexico City Bureau Chief Harris Whitbeck
Mexico City Bureau Chief Harris Whitbeck  


CNN Mexico City Bureau Chief Harris Whitbeck is in the Peruvian capital city of Lima, a few hundred miles from Arequipa, which was hit hard by the severe earthquake that struck southern Peru on Saturday.

Q: The quake had a huge magnitude, why not more damage?

WHITBECK: That might be explained in part because the epicenter of this quake was located many, many miles off Peru's coast, deep in the Pacific Ocean.

The stricken area of Southern Peru is part of a zone known as the "Ring of Fire," a belt along the edges of the Pacific Ocean that is known for a lot of seismic activity. Movement of the tectonic plates can set off earthquakes and volcanoes.

Residents of that part of the world are used to earthquakes. There was a huge one back in 1970 that killed several thousands of people.

Q: What about aftershocks?

WHITBECK: The aftershocks have been -- I guess about half the magnitude of what the earthquake was -- in the range of about magnitude of three. But still strong enough to further damage buildings already affected by the first quake.

Aftershocks are also playing terrible havoc with the nerves of the survivors.

Q: What's the biggest fear?

WHITBECK: A main concern is that the death toll may raise as rescuers reach some of the outlying communities that have been cut off. Authorities fear they may find that more people may have been killed than previously thought. The Peruvian civil defense authorities have revised downward the toll, but it could increase again as more communities are checked.

Transportation is a huge problem. Some parts of the area is very mountainous. And the quake caused many landslides, so a lot of the roads are cut off as well.

Q: Are there earthquake preparedness programs?

WHITBECK: This part of Peru is very poor, with homes made of mud-brick and adobe. So there are certainly no building standards in outlying communities.

As for emergency preparedness, civil defense authority and the army have standing emergency modes that they would go into when a disaster like this struck.

Q: Is Peru receiving help?

WHITBECK: We understand that Spain and the European Union have made offers of help. The U.S. ambassador to Peru, John Hamiliton, toured the stricken area Sunday morning and offered help as well.






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