| At 6.40 pm (local time) on August 15th there was a devastating earthquake in Peru’s southern desert region rated as 8.0 on the Richter scale. Destruction was centered in Cañete, Chincha the oasis city of Ica, and in the nearby port of Pisco, about 125 miles southeast of the capital, Lima.
At least 14 aftershocks of magnitude 5 or greater followed. Water, electricity and phone lines all collapsed and hospitals in Pisco, Chincha and Ica are not functioning effectively. The full-scale of the disaster still isn’t clear, especially in-land. Access to the region remains difficult since the Pan-American highway has been badly damaged and is impassable in some areas. Some air transportation is possible, so supplies are being flown in, and some of the injured are being flown out when they are able to do so. All mobile phone systems are still down.
So far, the earthquake has claimed the lives of more than 600 people, while thousands have been injured or have lost their homes and also their way of making a living. Local reports say at least 85,000 people have been affected by the earthquake.
Ica, a city of 120,000 where a quarter of the buildings collapsed, has declared a state of emergency.
Pisco, a coastal city of 130,000, is reporting three quarters of the buildings have collapsed.
"We don't have lights, water or communications," Pisco Mayor Juan Mendoza told Lima radio station CPN. "Most houses have fallen. Churches, stores, hotels - everything is destroyed."
Mendoza added at least 200 people were buried in the rubble of a church in Pisco where they were attending a service. Services were packed when the quake struck because Aug. 15 is celebrated by Catholics as the day the Virgin Mary rose to heaven (the Assumption).
17 died inside a church in Ica, the Canal N cable news station said. The historic Senor de Luren church was also among several heavily damaged in Ica, with over 50 bodies being taken to the morgue.
Catholic Aid Network
Development and Peace partner Caritas Peru is at the forefront of a response to this disaster and is on the ground in the affected area helping families. Caritas Peru is part of the worldwide Caritas Internationalis network of which Development and Peace also is a member. It is currently preparing an assessment and appeal to Caritas Internationalis; to which Development and Peace will be contributing. Development and Peace is in touch with all its Peruvian partners. It will be evaluating how best to help over the coming days and weeks, once more information is available, so it can pledge funds and support accordingly. This is the best way to ensure the vital aid required is directed at those who need it most.
"Caritas Peru have years of experience in disaster response, although it is never easy to do this type of emergency response work, such as setting up lines of communication with the affected areas and finding out quickly the exact needs of those people without shelter and sanitation," said Michael Casey, Executive Director of Development and Peace.
Caritas Peru is currently focused on meeting the immediate needs of some 10,000 affected families.
"We have set up feeding centres in the parishes in the department of Ica," said Jorge LaFosse, Director of Caritas Peru. "Water is absolutely critical, since many areas are without electricity, and water purification systems are down."
"Local hospitals and emergency units are completely overstretched, and there is a need for medicines and blood donations," continued LaFosse.
"Development and Peace will do everything it can to support this work," said Casey.
Please help
Development and Peace is currently accepting monetary donations so it can respond immediately through the Caritas network once the information gathering is complete in the coming days and the relief plan is ready.
Thank you for your generosity.
Donations can be made using any of the following methods:
Telephone: 1-888-664-3387
Online: www.sos.devp.org
Mail: 1425 René-Lévesque W, 3rd Floor, Montréal, QC H3G 1T7 -
Note on your cheque:
"Earthquake-Peru"
For 40 years, Development and Peace has worked directly with organizations made up of or representing the poor and marginalized in the Global South, and provided $500 million to 15,000 projects in Africa, Asia and Latin America. We are presently active with 200 partners in 28 countries in Africa, Asia, and in Latin America. In Canada, we are a democratic movement for international solidarity - educating the public about the root causes of poverty and mobilizing social action for change - with 13,000 members from coast to coast. Development and Peace is the official international development organization of the Catholic Church in Canada.
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