Ica, Peru: The Peruvian Desert After the '07 Earthquake

On Wednesday, August 15, 2007, an 8.0 magnitude earthquake hit Pisco, Peru leaving thousands completely homeless and several towns along Peru’s central coast annihilated. A SC Disaster Relief assessment team went in at the end of August, followed by my team in the first of September. Our team’s goal was to begin aid relief & to continue assessment for future teams. - - -

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The years of corrupt government in Peru has created a strong sense of distrust and self-protection among the Peruvian people which impeded clean-up crews and relief workers. Earthquake survivors had little remaining belongings and were reluctant to leave the remains of their homes, literally not wanting to move at all for bulldozers and rescue equipment. It took awhile to persuade them to move to government shelters, blue or orange tents set up in parks and stadiums. And many still didn’t move.




In addition to suspicious survivors, another obstacle to relief was the current Peruvian government. Getting relief into the country & through customs was a time consuming event, if possible at all. Getting any government aid from the top politicos down to the people who needed the aid was also a fragile process. Much of the aid disappeared before it got to the survivors.




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Then there were the swindlers who posed like government aid workers, assessed the needs, submitted their reports to the government, received government aid, then pocketed the money or sold the food & water and never delivered it back to the survivors.
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So the cleanup and relief was more difficult than it is when our teams go out here in the US. It was a very intersting process to observe, but very disheartening, too, unbelievable really.-


The top photo is the Pan American Highway and it is the only photo I did not take myself. I don't even know where I got it because I found it in '07. The next 3 photos are of the Pisco area as we were driving through. We flew into Lima and took a bus along the coast, 160 miles south to the town of Ica where we were to do our work. Here's a photo of a church in Ica that had been pretty much cut in half. Ica is a city of about 120,000 (Lima, I believe, has a population of 9 million). -


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By the time we got to Ica, the government tents were set up at a stadium and a lot of people had come here to stay, especially people who had been renting and had no property on which to put up a tent or cardboard box, etc. We took rice, flour, sugar and water to these people and while the men were unloading, we ladies were able to mingle. Here I am with some of the girls. "What will you remember most about the earthquake?" I asked their mamas. Their answers: Children crying, losing their home, feeling fear & feeling desperate.

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Having had no Spanish classes, I had to learn the language as I went. Occasionally I had a translator with me. The first time I learned the word for children, "Ninyas", I called them "Ninja." & these little pumpkins here, I called them "SuperNinjas!" They loved it. These kids are so precious. They have almost nothing, they are so poor, even before the earthquake, yet they are just bundles of joy.
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Here I am packed up in the back of a vehicle with several teenagers from the Baptist church's youth group. Many people were coming to the Baptist church for help, even though the church itself had been torn in half and they were all suffering, too. The church welcomed them all and tried to help in any way they could.



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This is the remains of the Baptist church. The ladies are standing in what used to be a downstairs room. The stairs are still usable and lead to the pastor's apartment above. Beneath the stairs are boxes of supplies and giant white bags of flour or sugar. The lady on the left is Gina Roberts, a missionary in Lima who came down for a few weeks to help out. The lady on the right is Judy Fulmer, she was on our SC Disaster Relief team, she has been all over the world on disaster relief.


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This is a good example of the earthquake damage in Ica. This was some type of classroom.

"What," we asked many, "was your first thought when the earthquake happened?"

Their answers:

• Thought the earthquake was the coming of the end of the world.


• Thought that the earth was falling into a big hole.


• Prayed and asked God to stop shaking the earth.


• Thought God was punishing them for worshipping idols


• Wondered why God was punishing them.

Check out this picture of damage in Ica. Imagine trying to clear your lot using your bicycle basket to haul stuff in and out.

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Coastal Peru, south of Lima, is mostly desert with a few cities in oasis fashion here and there. As far as I can tell, this desert has no official name, sometimes called "The Peruvian Desert" and sometimes "The Ica Desert," but officially... nothing. Peru is not known for it's desert either, but let me tell you, it is a desert. A big desert. I will tell you more of the desert in another post.




Just outside Ica are several villages built on the dunes. The villages are made of a mud & straw brick with thatched roofing.

Some are made of just sticks and odd bits of tin. Many people live in one little hut. It was very difficult for me to distinguish what was earthquake damage and what was normal living conditions. In this hut to the right, a young boy came running over to us, asking for a blanket. We had been giving out blankets, too, with the food. He was precious. He wants to come to America to go to school someday. I wanted to pack him up in my suitcase and bring him home.

These villages have no natural source of water, government trucks bring water vats around whenever they please, could be the middle of the night, could be this week, could be next week. There is no rainfall in Ica, not one drop.

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Several families in these villages will cook together, using and re-using water. There are no bathrooms and in the villages I went to, there were no "spots" allocated for bathrooms. You just go to the bathroom where you like. (I held it in and hoped not to step in anything)
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Here we are setting up for a puppet show. It was surreal for me to see how life was so casually lived around, in & upon these dunes. Each time we made a delivery of food and supplies, we had Bible studies with the adults and fun things for the children. I had taken some crayons and candy over - tons of them - in my suitcase and had great fun giving them out. The crayons I bought, on sale, here in the US were .12 cents a box. (great sale!)


In Lima, that same box cost $5.00 in US dollars.

I spoke with the mamas some more, asking which were their kids, their ages, names, etc. When talking about the earthquake, I asked them "How do you feel now?" Answers varied around "Cold at night," "Being punished," "Worried more earthquakes will come," "Unsafe." One, just one said it was an opportunity to begin again. This is a people group that doesn't have much reason to be optimistic or hopeful. It was nice to see one ray of hope.
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But thanks be to God, who always leads us in triumphal procession in Christ and through us spreads everywhere the fragrance of the knowledge of him. For we are to God the aroma of Christ among those who are being saved and those who are perishing. To the one we are the smell of death; to the other, the fragrance of life.

And who is equal to such a task?

II Corinthians 2:14-16 (NIV)

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All Peru Posts:

Lima

The Desert

EarthQuake Damage