The Multi-Hazard Earthquake Drill is scheduled for today starting at 3:00 p.m. This event will allow the citizens of Junín to prepare and take preventive actions in the event of a seismic movement. Despite being in the central mountain range, Junín is an area vulnerable to earthquakes due to the three geological faults that were identified by the Geophysical Institute of Peru (IGP): Huaytapallana in Huancayo, Ricrán in Jauja and Gran Pajonal in Satipo.
“For 50 years, there has been a seismic silence in the Junín region. This means that the population does not take preventive measures due to a lack of awareness. The last fault that had a destructive impact 50 years ago was the Gran Pajonal fault, which destroyed many infrastructures and, most regrettably, human lives,” commented the deputy manager of Civil Defense of the Regional Government of Junín, José Vásquez.
Throughout Peru, between 1 and 2 earthquakes are recorded per day, many of them imperceptible to the population because they are below 3° on the Richter scale.
Citizens can take three essential preventive measures that can save lives in the event of a major earthquake.
- The first of these is to identify safe areas within the work or home space, where residents can take refuge.
- Second, it is necessary to identify the quickest evacuation zones to a safe area outside the building or home, in order to avoid being crushed in the event of a collapse.
- Finally, there is the preparation of an emergency backpack with non-perishable foods and others.
“In the event of a strong earthquake, two actions must be taken. The first case, for those who are in multi-story buildings, that is, if you are on the eighth floor, what you should do is locate yourself in the safe zone until the earthquake passes. The second case, for those who are in one- or two-story houses or are located on the first two floors of the building, is to evacuate immediately, but without running to avoid tripping.”the official added.
In the Junín region, two provinces were identified as being most vulnerable. One of them is Huancayo, due to the settlement of citizens near the hills in the eastern part of the city. For this jurisdiction, a simulation of an 8.8 magnitude earthquake followed by a fire will be carried out.
The other vulnerable province is Chanchamayo, which has a similar situation in terms of human settlements. In this case, the multi-hazard drill will first be for an earthquake of 8.8 degrees on the Richter scale, followed by river overflow.
Monitoring of activities in this multi-hazard earthquake drill, which will be nationwide, will take place in the district of Chilca, which is the most vulnerable in the province of Huancayo.
