Two weeks on from the Peru earthquake - a view from the field
Juana and her daughter show Major Alex Nesterenko the spot where Juana's mother was killed in the earthquake
Major Cedric Hills, International Emergency Services Coordinator, has visited the earthquake-hit areas of Peru, deciding how The Salvation Army should proceed with its relief programme. Here is his ‘view from the field’:
ON the evening of 15 August 2007 an earthquake measuring 7.9 on the Richter scale occurred 160 kilometres off the coast of Peru. Its impact was felt as far away as the capital city, Lima, but it was the coastal town of Pisco which felt the force of its destructive power. An estimated 85 per cent of properties there have been damaged or destroyed.
Salvation Army relief teams were on site that same evening, providing items such as food, blankets, medicine and clothing. Tents have been provided and hundreds of families are now living in camps supported by The Salvation Army.
Two weeks after the earthquake I travelled to Pisco to see how the relief effort is progressing and how families are coming to terms with such a devastating, life-changing event.
I’d seen the activity in the town itself during an earlier visit so felt it important to investigate how the outlying areas were faring. Accompanied by Major Alex Nesterenko, divisional commander and leader of The Salvation Army’s work in Peru, I headed to the town of Ica to assess the surrounding small villages.
Arriving in El Olivo I couldn't miss the focal point – the Roman Catholic church. Where once it stood proudly in the middle of the village, its dangerously cracked tower is about all that remains. Visible to the whole village, the tower now stands precariously as a symbol of the destruction. As I spoke to the people of the village many of the 365 residents, rather than drawing attention to the rubble that once comprised their homes, pointed at the tower and said: ‘Have you seen what it did to our church?’ The remains of the tower, like the rest of this community, will need to be pulled down and the site cleared before rebuilding can start.
Captain Carlos Aguilar, the Salvation Army team leader for Ica, showed me around. He and his team have distributed food parcels, blankets and clothes. The destruction is plain to see – in fact it is the single house still standing which draws your attention amidst the total destruction. Even this lone house suffered structural damage which means it will also need to be torn down as soon as possible.
While I was looking at this once-lovely home Luvi came out to speak with me. She was born in this home – her family home – 40 years ago. As we talked, her 11-year-old daughter Annelle came and stood by her side.
When the earthquake happened Annelle and her mother were standing at the bottom of the stairs. Annelle ran for the door and escaped the building. By the time Luvi got to the door the house had started to buckle and crack. The twisting of the brickwork meant the door would not open and Luvi couldn’t escape. Fortunately, as her home didn't collapse, she survived.
Along with their other family members, Luvi and Annelle live in a temporary shelter created on spare land next to the house. Annelle showed me around her former home, despite her fear of another quake. They are one of the few families which have been able to salvage some of their belongings but the most precious, their home, will soon be gone.
Walking down the main street I saw an elderly but fit man pushing a wheelbarrow of rubble. He was trying to clear away the remains of his home. Clemente Franco (aged 64) had lived there for 55 years. His eight-member family has now taken refuge on waste land, living under shelter materials they have been given. Looking into the rubble that used to be his home, I saw that everything was smashed, nothing salvageable. It struck me as surprising that he was smiling as we talked together. When I commented about this he replied: ‘What else can I do? I can’t cry, I must work.' The smile left his face as he added: ‘But I’m sad to see my village destroyed.'
Patricia, who I learned was the village leader, was collecting water from a standpipe – water was reconnected four days before my visit. She told me that the village is very warm (something I had already noticed) so tents are not really appropriate because they are too hot to live in. Some organisations have given matting for families to create temporary shelters, but they need more – at least five sheets per family. With the increased demand for materials many prices have risen. The price of matting has more than doubled.
We visited a communal kitchen where a small group of women was cooking for 13 families (38 people). I met Juana, a young woman aged about 25 years, and her small daughter. They took me a few metres from the kitchen and stood on the spot where their home once stood – the place where Juana’s mother died in the quake just two weeks earlier.
As I walked around this small village I couldn’t help wondering how these people must have felt when their homes collapsed around them. I thought of 11-year-old Annelle. As she fled her home to look for safety, what must she have felt as she looked down the street and saw every house falling down?
The busyness of the people was clear. Women in communal kitchens prepared food for their families and neighbours. Men worked side by side to move rubble with shovels and bare hands. Village leader Patricia told me she thought the clean-up and removal of rubble was the biggest challenge currently facing her community. Their lack of outside assistance contrasted starkly with the multitude of helpers in the municipal centre at Pisco. Yet I was deeply touched by the positive outlook shown by those I met in this small village.
People like Luvi, Annelle, Clemente, Patricia and Juana are typical of the many families impacted by this sudden and catastrophic event. The Salvation Army is playing its part to deal with their short-term and longer-term needs. Basic food supplies and other essential relief materials are being distributed to sustain the people and it is working with local authority leaders and other organisations to plan the best way to support the reconstruction efforts. There’s much to do, but The Salvation Army will continue to support these people as they rebuild their homes and their lives.