Peru This Week: Peruvian Military trains to prepare for disasters

"Peruvian Military trains to prepare for Disasters"
W. Alejandro Sanchez
Peru This Week
May 12, 2014
Originally published: http://www.peruthisweek.com/news-peruvian-military-trains-to-prepare-for-disasters-102927

Between April 21 and May 2, the Peruvian armed forces orchestrated the “Cooperation III” multinational military exercise, which was carried out in the coastal cities of Lima and Pisco. The goal was to prepare the Peruvian armed forces on how to respond in case a natural disaster strikes the Andean nation – the military units involved in the exercise carried out maneuvers like delivering humanitarian aid and transporting cargo and emergency personnel, as well as search and rescue operations. ”Cooperation III” was carried out under the auspices of the Sistema de Cooperación de Las Fuerzas Aereas Americanas (SICOFAA, Cooperation System among the American Air Forces).

The hypothetical scenario was what would happen if an earthquake and a tsunami occurred in the coastal region between the two aforementioned cities. This scenario hits home to most Peruvians, as tremors are a normal occurrence in the country, including a severe quake in 2007 which hit both Lima and Pisco.

The Peruvian Air Force hosted the event and provided a variety of military hardware that included an An-32B transport aircraft and two Mi-17 helicopters, among others. The bases that were utilized for the exercise were the Grupo Aereo No 8 and Grupo Aereo N 51, located in Lima and Pisco, respectively.

This drill took on an international dimension as, even though the hypothetical disaster took place in coastal Peru, units from various regional countries were also present throughout the lengthy-maneuvers. The goal was to improve coordination between Peru and friendly governments so that, should a natural disaster occur in the near future, it will be easier for Peruvian disaster and security agencies to communicate and coordinate with international entities.

As for the international units that were present, Colombia sent a delegation of 25 military personnel, plus two aircraft, a King 350 and a Casa 295, the latter which served as an air bridge between Lima and Pisco for quickly transporting humanitarian aid. Meanwhile, Canada deployed a C-130J aircraft and one CH-149 Cormorant helicopter. An April 22 press release by the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) explains that: “this deployment highlights two milestones for the RCAF: it is the first time a CH-149 Cormorant has been transported by a CC-177 Globemaster III and it is the first time a Cormorant has been deployed outside of North America.” (The Globemaster is part of the 429 Transport Squadron at 8 Wing Trenton, Ontario.) As for the U.S., Washington sent 30 airmen from the West Virginia National Guard’s 130th Airlift Wing as well as two transport aircraft, the C-130 Hercules.

The recently-concluded exercises that took place in Peru and are the third installment of the Cooperation military maneuvers. The first such exercise, “Cooperation I,” took place in Chile in 2010, while the second, “Cooperation II,” was hosted by Argentina in 2013.

Certainly, it is critically important for Peru’s civilian and security agencies to constantly be prepared in case a disaster occurs since, sadly, the Andean nation is used to them. In May 1970, a devastating earthquake, 7.9 in the Richter scale, killed over 70,000 people in Peru’s Ancash region. More recently, as previously noted, an earthquake hit Peru’s coast in August 2007, which had a magnitude of 7.9 on the Richter scale. The quake was felt in Lima and tragically, several southern provinces received the full force of the quake. Specifically, the coastal city of Pisco, major tourist destination, was virtually destroyed by the shock as well as the tsunami that occurred afterwards (waves around the southern city of Paracas reached five meters in height). While the loss of life was relatively low for such a disaster (595 people perished), there were 2,300 injured while 76 thousand houses were destroyed.

In other words, it is a welcome development that Peru hosted the “Cooperation III” exercises, as this will aid the coordination and preparation a natural disaster. Sadly, the question is not if an earthquake will occur in Peru, but rather when.

This past November 2013, a strong tremor, 5.6 on the Richter scale, hit Lima and several southern provinces, while a stronger one, 6.2 on the Richter scale, hit the Peruvian coast around the Pisco region this past March. While none of them were destructive, they alarmed the population. Hence, governmental, military and civilian readiness is essential.

You can follow W. Alejandro Sanchez on his Geopolitics & Geosecurity blog and on Twitter:@W_Alex_Sanchez.

Blouin Beat: World - The Haiti quake, four years later

The Haiti quake, four years after
W. Alejandro Sanchez
Blouin Beat: World
January 13, 2014
Originally published: http://blogs.blouinnews.com/blouinbeatworld/2014/01/13/the-haiti-quake-four-years-later/

On January 12, 2010, a massive earthquake hit Haiti, long regarded as the poorest nation in the Western Hemisphere and arguably the least prepared to withstand an earthquake of that strength.

While the overall impact the Caribbean nation suffered has generally been well-reported, recent media reports continue to give different estimates of how many people lost their lives. For examplea January 2014 report by NPR mentions that 200,000 people died, while an Associated Pressreport says “officials say more than 300,000 died, but no one knows for certain how many people lost their lives.” Meanwhile, the website of OXFAM International explains “more than 220,000 people were killed and over 300,000 injured.”

After the earthquake occurred, the international community mobilized to help the impoverished nation. Washington deployed several military units as part of Operation Unified Response, including the USNS Comfort, the Navy’s medical assistance vessel. There was even a telethon,called Hope for Haiti Now, in which American celebrities helped collect money for the relief effort. Nations like France also sent emergency personnel.

Most memorably, then-president of the Dominican Republic Leonel Fernandez ordered hisgovernment to send trucks with food, along with eight ambulances and medical staff, to help Haiti. This was an important development: Haiti and the Dominican Republic have had a long history of tensions — particularly after the 1930s massacre of thousands of Haitians in the Dominican Republic, known as the Parsley Massacre, during the Trujillo dictatorship. Analysts (myself included) believed that due to the earthquake relations between Port-au-Prince and San Jose would improve. Sadly, recent events show that this optimism was too much to hope for.

Four years after this tragic event, it is debatable whether this Caribbean nation is on the road to recovery. The aforementioned Huffington Post explains that the quake left some 1.5 million citizens living in camps, and four years later, the number has been reduced to 146,000. A massive improvement — but the number of displaced people is still significantly high. There has been some progress regarding maintaining the government’s rule on the country. Haiti held presidential elections in 2011, a sign that the country’s electoral system is working. And while the presidency ofMichel Martelly has been controversial, there is little to suggest that a coup could occur, as it did in 2004 when then-President Jean-Bertrand Aristide was deposed. And at least one high-profile international investment has occurred in the interim. The hotel chain Marriott is building a four-star hotel in Port-au-Prince. A ceremony to break ground was carried out in December 2012, and in August 2013, the construction received a $26 million-investment boost.

Nevertheless, the Haitian nation still has plenty of woes. As previously mentioned, it was hoped that the quake would serve as a (tragic) catalyst to improve bilateral relations between Haiti and the Dominican Republic. Unfortunately, this has not happened, best evidenced by the controversial law passed by the government in San Jose that withdraws citizenship from undocumented migrants (mostly Haitians)  living in the other country of Hispaniola island.

To make matters worse, nowadays the country is suffering from a health crisis:  cholera, most likely brought by U.N. peacekeepers.

Perhaps it comes as no surprise that given these hardships, Haitians are attempting to migrate. But since the situation in the Dominican Republic looks grim, Haitians are trying to reach other nations. This development means that we regularly hear about vessels sinking or capsizing which carried Haitian migrants across Caribbean waters. This past November 2013, a boat sank off the coast of The Bahamas, killing around 30 Haitians who were trying to reach the U.S.

Haitians can take pride in the fact that their country was the second nation to become independent in the Americas, only second to the U.S. (in 1804 from France). Sadly, Haiti has faced a continuous series of perils and hardships during the 20th century and so far during the 21st. It is to be hoped that when we commemorate the 5th anniversary of the quake, we will find this nation in a stronger position as regards development. But don’t hold your breath.