Thousands of people left homeless and hungry by a massive earthquake in Peru’s desolate southern desert are being helped, thanks to the generosity of Southern Baptists who give to their World Hunger Fund.
At least 519 people were killed and 60,000 homes were destroyed when a quake that registered 8.0 on the Richter scale struck Peru’s central coast Aug. 15. The shock wave leveled most of the buildings in the port city of Pisco, where many structures were built of unreinforced adobe brick.
“The towns of Ica, Pisco, Chincha, Canate were heavily damaged and many smaller communities were totally destroyed,” said Jim Brown, U.S. director for Baptist Global Response, a Southern Baptist international development and relief organization. “The highway from Lima was damaged to the extent that large trucks with relief supplies can’t get through. The government had to send the first relief supplies in by air.”
Villagers will have a hard time recovering from the earthquake because clearing debris means their crops must go untended, said Rick Miller, who is coordinating Southern Baptist disaster relief efforts in the area.
Feeding the hungry
“I was in a community [recently] and asked what they plan on doing concerning rebuilding,” Miller said. “Their houses are completely destroyed and they are living in thatched housing or shelters made of scrap plastic and cardboard. They replied that the men are in the fields all day long and don’t have time to clean the debris. They need help with debris removal before they can begin to rebuild.”
The unusually strong quake generated international publicity and tons of relief supplies poured into Peru. Much of it, however, reportedly wound up on sale in local markets, while many smaller communities have received little or no assistance, Miller said.
That makes private relief efforts more critical, said Brown, who traveled to the affected area to assess the needs.
The initial assessment team carried in blankets, food staples, water, plastic sheeting and hygiene kits purchased with a $50,000 emergency allocation from Southern Baptist relief funds. An allocation of $33,726 from the Southern Baptist World Hunger Fund jump started community kitchens in 50 communities. Food kits of rice, lentils, noodles and oil sent by Southern Baptists are being supplemented locally with potatoes and chicken or fish — enough to feed 5,000 people for up to two months.
Another $15,000 in relief funds also was allocated to help launch medical projects in the area. Assessment teams discovered that a variety of respiratory, skin and digestive disorders were appearing after the quake. As many as 5,000 people are expected to be helped by medical teams sent to the area. (BP)
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