Earthquake and tsunami drill scheduled for November 11 suspended

The Executive suspended the simulation for an Earthquake followed by a Tsunami on the central coast that was to be carried out on Wednesday, November 11, 2026, through the Secretariat of Disaster Risk Management Resolution No. 006-2026-PCM/SGRD, published in the official newspaper El Peruano on Tuesday, November 10, 2026 (Legal Norms section, pages 7-8). The regulation, signed in Lima on November 9, 2026, by Secretary Edgar Fortunato Ortega Torres, modifies Article 1 of Resolution No. 001-2025-PCM/SGRD, which approved the calendar of drills and simulations for the years 2025-2027.

The technical basis for the cancellation

The decision was adopted based on Report No. D000017-2026-PCM-SGRD/PLJ, dated November 6, 2026, from the Secretariat of Disaster Risk Management, and Technical Report No. 000102-2026-INDECI/SDGRPR from the National Institute of Civil Defense (INDECI), sent via Official Letter No. 002593-2026-INDECI/GG, dated November 5, 2026, signed by the entity’s general manager.

According to those documents, the suspension of the exercise—also referred to as a “High Magnitude Earthquake”—responds to three concurrent circumstances:

• The visit to the country of His Holiness Pope Leo XIV, scheduled from November 11 to 16, 2026, in Cajamarca, Cusco, Lambayeque, Lima, Ucayali, and the Constitutional Province of Callao, declared of national interest by Supreme Resolution No. 132-2026-RE and specified by Supreme Decree No. 043-2026-RE.
• The declaration of compensable non-working days established by Supreme Decree No. 020-2026-TR in Lima and the Constitutional Province of Callao (November 11 and 12, from 13:00 to 24:00 hours, and November 16) and in Cajamarca, La Libertad, Lambayeque, and Piura (November 13 and 14).
• The need to prioritize human and logistical resources in addressing current emergencies within the framework of the El Niño Phenomenon.

The resolution specifies that the public entities comprising the National System for Disaster Risk Management (SINAGERD) are focused on safeguarding the lives of the population against the hazards associated with El Niño and attending to the affected population, in addition to organizing the activities related to the pontifical visit.

Current emergencies and regulatory framework

The supporting documentation cites two active emergency declarations. Supreme Decree No. 149-2026-PCM declares an emergency in 1,380 districts across 24 departments and Callao due to the imminent danger of heavy rainfall associated with the 2026-2027 El Niño Phenomenon, effective until January 2, 2027. Supreme Decree No. 140-2026-PCM, in turn, covers 707 districts in Áncash, Apurímac, Arequipa, Ayacucho, Cusco, Huancavelica, Huánuco, Junín, La Libertad, Loreto, Madre de Dios, Moquegua, Pasco, Puno, San Martín, Tacna, and Ucayali due to water deficit, effective until December 11, 2026.

The invoked framework complements Law No. 29664, which creates SINAGERD, its Regulations approved by Supreme Decree No. 048-2011-PCM, the National Disaster Risk Management Policy to 2050 (Supreme Decree No. 038-2021-PCM), and the Integrated Text of the Organization and Functions Regulations of the PCM, approved by Ministerial Resolution No. 239-2026-PCM, which grants the Secretariat the rank of governing body of the system. The amendment is considered outside the scope of the Ex Ante Regulatory Impact Analysis.

What remains and where to consult it

The regulation modifies only Article 1 of the original resolution: the rest of the drill and simulation calendar for 2025-2027—including the national and regional exercises already planned—remains in effect. The text further specifies that INDECI retains the function of promoting the execution of drills and simulations and monitoring them, in accordance with numerals 9.1, 9.4, and 9.14 of Article 9 of the Regulations of Law No. 29664.

The resolution mandates its publication in the Official Gazette “El Peruano” and its dissemination, on the same day, on the digital platforms of the Presidency of the Council of Ministers (www.gob.pe/pcm) and the National Institute of Civil Defense (www.gob.pe/indeci).

The change directly impacts schools, municipalities, civil defense committees, and families in the central coast, who were scheduled to participate tomorrow in the evacuation and response exercise. With the suspension, preparation for a high-magnitude earthquake and a potential tsunami is postponed in the country’s most exposed area, while the State concentrates its resources on the papal visit and the El Niño emergencies affecting more than two thousand districts.

Source: El Peruano, Tuesday, November 10, 2026, Legal Norms section, pp. 7-8 (official reference: 2573216-1).