Louisville, Kentucky – It has been said by someone, someplace, somewhere along the line, that good things don’t come easily; the best things in life have to be won through struggle; tests of faith and all that. Well I hope there’s a grading system that takes into account all tests combined. The update on Henry – a phone call last night to Peru – the Peruvian government workers have been striking. Not every day you understand, I think I’ve mentioned in the past that these things are very organized. They have a schedule of which days and hours they are on strike. The schedule also lists the various delays in paperwork processing, and it looks like he’ll be there an extra week.
Then, while we’re chatting on the phone, I hear a loud crash, and his sister starts screaming. He yells something about the house is shaking, it’s an earthquake, he loves me; and the connection cuts off. For the next ten to fifteen minutes, nothing but “I’m sorry, the international call you are trying to make cannot be completed at this time.” Or words to that effect. Do we really need this in our lives?
Thankfully, after about fifteen minutes I get through, he answers, all is allright, the earthquake apparently was centered in the northwest (7.5 on the Richter scale!), some distance away, and they were just hit with an aftershock that shook things up, made the door on the house crash closed, and everyone in the neighborhood ran out in the streets to get out of their shaking houses. It passed in a few minutes, and was over. I’m just starting to get the feeling that there’s someone, someplace, somewhere, who’s sitting at a console pushing buttons and cackling with glee. Mother Nature, in cahoots with various government officials.
LIMA, Peru, Sept 26 (Reuters) – A powerful 7.5 magnitude earthquake that shook Peru’s northern jungle over the weekend has killed five people and made several thousand homeless, regional authorities said on Monday.
The quake hit on Sunday evening at 8:55 p.m. (0155 GMT on Monday) and its epicenter was 56 miles (90 km) northeast of the coffee-growing town of Moyobamba, 445 miles (715 km) north of Lima.
The worst damage occurred in the nearby hilltop town of Lamas in the San Martin region, where a 72-year-old woman, a 9-year-old boy and a man were killed, Lamas Mayor Rafael Saavedra told CPN radio.
A woman in the neighboring La Libertad region died when her house collapsed on top of her, rescue workers said.
A fifth unidentified person died in the San Martin region, Peru’s emergency disaster agency INDECI said and warned of more deaths as rescue workers search for victims.
“In Lamas, we’ve got 102 destroyed homes and another 498 houses that are uninhabitable, which leaves 3,000 people homeless right now,” Saavedra said.
President Alejandro Toledo arrived in Lamas on Monday afternoon to survey the damage and the central government sent doctors, blankets, tents, food and medicine to the area, officials said.
The quake was felt strongly in Lima where people ran out of their houses in fright.
In Moyobamba, which is also a major flower and tobacco growing area, a police spokesman said the walls of some buildings had collapsed, including parts of the prison, but the inmates were accounted for.
Radio reports said residents in Moyobamba, afraid of aftershocks, slept in the streets.
Quakes of such magnitude are capable of causing serious damage in urban areas.
A huge 8.4 magnitude earthquake struck southern Peru in 2001, killing 78 people, including 26 by a tsunami, and causing some $300 million in damages.
Peru’s deadliest quake, in 1970, registered a magnitude of 7.9 and killed 70,000.
Stayed in with the folks last night, whipped up a very basic one pot chicken and broccoli dish. Nothing of note – a few herbs, some soup mix, some noodles. Popped a bottle of Château de Ségriès Côtes du Rhône 2003. A bit of “bottle stink” when we first opened it, thought for a moment it might actually have turned, but that blew off quickly. The wine is a lighter Rhône made from 30-year old vines – 50% Grenache, 30% Syrah, 10% Cinsault, and 10% Carignan. Berry fruit with a touch of white pepper, and somewhat high acidity. Not bad, not great. Drinkable.
