Week 4: Tsunamis
Peru lies above a convergent boundary where the Nazca Plate and part of the Ring of Fire is located. In Peru, there have been a total of 23 tidal waves (tsunamis) since 1586. Compared to other countries, Peru experiences more tsunamis than average. One of the deadliest tsunamis to be recorded in Peruvian history happened in 1776due to a 8.6 intensity earthquake which almost completely destroyed the capital of Peru , Lima, and the tsunami completely destroyed the port city of Callao. The last tsunami to be recorded in Peru was on June 23, 2001, after a significant earthquake stretched across the coastline of Southern Peru.
Because Peru is in a seismic zone, it never catches a break from earthquakes and ongoing natural disasters. Earlier this year on March 4, the U.S Embassy in Peru sent out a weather alert issuing actions to take due to a 8.1 magnitude earthquake and a possibility of a tsunami. Similar to ready.gov, the Peruvian Embassy signaled to monitor local media for updates and create a plan for cover.
I agree with ready.gov, and I’m thankful I read the “Prepare NOW” section especially because I never have prepared or thought of planning out an escape plan in case of a tsunami in my area. I can see how helpful this website can be for different communities that experience ongoing tsunamis. Creating a family emergency plan and practicing is very important in case of a possible tsunami. Thank you.
Sources:
https://www.worlddata.info/america/peru/tsunamis.php
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1746_Lima%E2%80%93Callao_earthquake
https://pe.usembassy.gov/weather-alert-tsunami-alert-u-s-embassy-lima-peru-march-4-2021/
Unlike Peru, my country Singapore has a significant lower amount of tidal waves. But laying on a convergent plate in the ring of fire explains why Peru is so vulnerable to Tsunamis. Thanks for giving me a different perspective of what other countries experience.
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DeleteHi. It's so interesting to see that unlike my country (Haiti), Peru actually does have a lot of experience with tsunamis, more than the average at that. It does, however, make more sense due to the fact that it is located in a seismic zone. Great work!
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