103265 Stories of Impact A series highlighting achievements in disaster risk management Protecting School Infrastructure Against Earthquake Risks in Peru REGION: LATIN AMERICA Metropolitan Lima is subject to frequent seismic AND THE CARIBBEAN activity that can damage critical infrastructure such FOCUS: RISK IDENTIFICATION, RISK REDUCTION as schools and threaten the lives of schoolchildren. In COUNTRY: PERU Lima, more than 64% of schools are highly vulnerable to earthquakes, which leaves more than 600,000 children at risk. The Peruvian Ministry of Education (MINEDU), in partnership with the World Bank and the Global RESULTS: Facility for Disaster Reduction and Recovery (GFDRR), * The Ministry of Education (MINEDU) conducted is working in Lima to mitigate against damage, protect a School Infrastructure Census of 50,000 students against the impact or earthquakes, and public school facilities to evaluate their current condition. Through a National School Infrastructure Plan and * The World Bank and MINEDU, through a Reimbursable Advisory Service (RAS), analyzed the results of the census, defined structural strengthen the conditions or school inrrastructure, as and functional indicators, and conducted a seismic risk assessment of 1,969 school facilities in Lima. Based on the RAS results, the government has started intervention on the 252 most vulnerable school facilities, with an estimated $17 million investment. ThThe World Bank and MINEDU are working together to define and design the National School Infrastructure Plan and identify Plan d retrofitting alternatives.RetrofFttg P a Disastriving o CONTEXT: In the Lima Metropolitan area, which has a combined population of over nine million people, earthquakes can cause severe damage to public infrastructure. Aware of the gravity of this risk, the government of Peru is striving to advance its seismic risk management efforts. As part of a long-standing collaboration, GFDRR and the World Bank have worked with the government of Peru to strengthen the country's technical and institutional capacity in disaster risk assessment to reduce seismic vulnerability. APPROACH: Through the Probabilistic Risk Assessment (CAPRA) Program, an initiative that aims to strengthen institutional capacity for assessing, understanding, and communicating disaster risk, the World Bank and the government of Peru have worked to promote the application of risk-related data for better informed decision- making. The program applies the use of CAPRA software, a free resource for risk analysis and decision-making. GFDRR has supported these efforts through technical assistance and advisory services. Within the framework of this engagement as well as close collaboration "The government of Peru, through the Ministry of Educotion, among MINEDU, GFDRR, and the Work Bank, steps have been taken is committed to the improvement ond rehobilitotion of school to defne levels of intervention, conduct an analysis of investment infrastructure throughout the country. The Progrom for requirements, and develop and implement vulnerability reduction plans. School Infrastructure hos mode odvoncements in adjusting its institutionol structure, implementing on ombitious short- Key activities include: term intervention pion in Limo ond designing the Notionol School Infrastructure Plon. The World Bonk onid GFDRR hove * Collaboration with institutions such as the Geophysical Institute of been strategic partners in this process by providing timely Peru to prepare national-level seismic hazard maps and models. technicol assistance" * Tailored workshops to train practitioners from academic - Gustavo Canales, Director of the Program for School institutions and government agencies to better understand Infrastructure, Ministry of Education disaster risk and use seismic modeling software (such as CAPRA) to estimate hazard, exposure, and vulnerability for public schools in Lima. These studies revealed that only 8% of public school infrastructure complied with seismic-resistant design codes. LESSONS LEARNEO: * Support to the government of Peru to incorporate risk- Collaboration among institutions is essential to related information into an intervention strategy that involves leverage the expertise of each stakeholder and achieve maintenance, retroLLtting, and at times, relocation of schools to key milestones. The engagement of the Ministry of ensure the safety of schoolchildren. EducaLion, the Ministry of Economy and Finance, the Peru Geophysical Institute, and the private Pontihlcal NEXT STEPS: Ca(holic University of Peru capiLlized on the combined The results from the School Infrastructure Census have highlighted anstro oacho o In ru Ln or the magnitude of existing infrastructure issues in the country. MINEDU r ng sesic vunobl InschoolunFrPtrutuor faces the challenge of defining an articulate intervention strategy that addresses both short-term infrastructure needs, as well as medium- and Efficiently addressing challenges requires alignment long-term measures for better planning, efficiency, and sustainability of institutional priorities and customized technical of school infrastructure. To help address these challenges, MINEDU assistance. An ncreased number of field visits, will formulate the National School Infrastructure Plan to construct, meetings and consistent communica(ion among rehabilitate, replace, improve, and maintain school infrastructure country- GFDRR, the World Bank, and the Peruvian Ministry of wide, as well as to identify, design, prioritize, and implement the required Educa(ion helped to identify issues relaLed to a lack of public investments according to the Plan. The World Bank and GFDRR knowledge of the poLenLial impaci of ear(hquakes on will support MINEDU in preparing this plan in 2015. Limas school buildings. Unders(ading the local context favored the alignmeni: of ins(iLuLional priorities and the integration of Lechnical assis(ance into ins(imuional processes, such as the design of a capaci(ij building Contact program to assess the seismic risk of 1,969 schools. Shaela Rahman InformaLion generated by this study is now being used srahman@worldbank.org to inform decision-making for disasLer risk reduction in www.gfdrr.org Peruvian schools.