Peru completes joint emergency exercise with the United States

Natural disasters like earthquakes and forest fires can at strike any time in Peru, which is why leaders from the Andean country and the U.S. say it is important to be prepared to immediately respond in times of emergency.

The two countries came together Saturday when dozens of U.S. Marines joined with army personnel, police and firefighters from Peru in conducting emergency response simulations, according to the state-owned Andina news agency.

“These joint rapid response exercises to natural disasters are a part of the close and continuous cooperation between Peru and the United States,”  said Mark Wells, the U.S. Embassy Charge d’Affaires in Lima. “They seek to improve interoperability, preparedness, and response capacity in case of humanitarian crises or natural disasters.”

The exercises took place on Lima’s Agua Dulce Beach on the Costa Verde, where coastal patrol units were used to spread equipment and workers in case of a natural disaster in the area.

According to statistics from the U.S. Embassy in Peru, the U.S. Southern Command has given $44 million in more than 250 projects throughout the country. They have helped build more than a dozen Regional Emergency Operations Centers (COER) in different areas of Peru.

“Once again we have demonstrated the depth of the bonds of cooperation and friendship between the United States and Peru. We congratulate the joint work carried out with the Peruvian authorities at the national, regional, municipal, and local levels, including the Ministry of Defense, the Ministry of Health, the National Institute of Civil Defense (INDECI), the Peruvian armed forces, and the Peruvian National Police,” said U.S. Ambassador to Peru Krishna R. Urs.