Shaken and stirred

On Thursday I experienced my first earthquake here in Lima, although emost Limeñans, hardened since August, just qualifies it as "temblor" and not "terremoto". I was just washing the dishes in the kitchen and Michael frying fish, around twenty to nine in the evening. As always there was a lot of noise on the street, and I thought "oh, another one of those darn heavy trucks" or something to that effect, as the building started moving. During my first months in Peru last year, I woke up quite often and thought there was an earthquake, only to be assured by a grumpy Michael that it was just an airplane or a truck passing by. So, I was slowly desensitised to the shakings of the building...of course, living in a house built in the last century situated opposite a heavy goods railtrack in Germany for two years also played its part.
However, this time the initial up and down rattling did not subside. Instead it developed into a strange sideways movement, as if a giant was standing outside holding onto the building with both hands and shaking it to see what would happen. Then I realised what was happening, and at the same time Michael pulled my arm to get me out onto the balcony. By that time the earthquake had already stopped, and we soon went back inside. I went and packed my computer, passport and important papers in a backpack, but nothing more happened. According to Instituto Geofísico del Perú (IGP), the earthquake originated 69 km northeast of Pisco, and reached 5.8 on the Richter scale. It is not thought to be another aftershock from the earthquake in August. People in Pisco, naturally wary, evacuated their buildings, but noone was hurt this time.
Since I came back, I've noticed that for example in la Punta, one of the places in Lima which would be most exposed to a tsunami, signs and notes have been posted on the beaches, in the shops and in restaurants informing about earthquakes and tsunamis, what to do in the event, etc. I'm thinking Lima was very lucky in August, because my guess is that a huge part of the population which has migrated to the capital during the last two decades would be at a loss as to how to act during and in the aftermath of a big earthquake with a potential tsunami, and as recently as this year there was very little public information about it, apart from the seemingly compulsory sign to indicate the load-bearing beam/wall of a shop/restaurant. It is a shame that it would take the utter destruction of Pisco to stir awareness in the capital.