Wednesday 03 March 2010
ShelterBoxes delivered in Peru hours after landslide
The route taken by the ShelterBoxes when they arrived in Lima and their distribution sites.
The ShelterBox Response Team in Peru was on the scene immediately after a landslide struck the village of Taray leaving hundreds of families homeless.
The team, made up of Gary Boe (US), Denise Ho (US) and Jodie Hurt (UK), have been distributing ShelterBoxes to people affected by flooding in the Cuzco and Puno regions. They have been working to the north of Cuzco in the Scared Valley when they heard the news yesterday (Tuesday, March 2) of the landslide in Taray. Now, just a day after the landslide, there are families in ShelterBox tents.
Jodie, who is on her first deployment, said: ‘There’s been so much rain here and it’s been falling really hard. There are so many houses which aren’t safe. We heard about the landslide in Taray and immediately set about trying to get there.
‘The road was blocked so we had to leave our vehicle, climb across rocks and travel the rest of the way with the army of Cuzco. It was a hell of a journey.
‘When we reached the village we learnt that eight people had died and 120 families had lost their homes. We were the first aid agency there and today (Wednesday, March 3) we’ve been setting up tents and delivering ShelterBoxes to all of them.’
Rebuilding begins
Boxes have also been distributed in Real Naciente, Paucarbumba, Lucra and other areas. In Lucra, Jodie met a 90 year old man who had lost his home and his wife in the flooding.
She said: ‘In the past few days we’ve been assessing a number of villages. There are places where people have been making their own tents which can’t stand up to the rains. The look in their eyes is soul destroying.
‘But now we have people in ShelterBox tents where they’re going to stay until they can rebuild their homes. This is my first deployment and it’s been challenging in so many ways but we’re now seeing the hope that ShelterBox brings to people come to life.’
200 ShelterBoxes were sent to Peru after the country experienced its heaviest rainfall in two decades. The ShelterBox Response Team has been working with Rotarians, the Peruvian Red Cross and the National Civil Defence Institute.
