Feb. 22, 2010 issue
EMM aids Peru after floods, mudslides
By Linda Moffett Eastern Mennonite MissionsCUSCO, Peru — Eastern Mennonite Missions is sending funds to people in southern Peru who saw floods and mudslides destroy their homes, roads and crops.
Residents work on a collapsed home in Lucre, Peru, where many have lost their homes, crops and livelihoods. — Photo by Jesse Heindel/EMM
EMM has sent an initial $13,000 to help with immediate needs of food, clothing and housing. EMM workers living here report the heaviest torrential rains in years.
“The whole town of Huacarpay is a lake,” Cindy Kreider said. “Lucre has been hit hard as well. The destruction is horrible and close to our heart. Most of the church members there have been affected, and many have lost everything, including their crops. Anything not concrete block was destroyed.”
Many people had few resources before this disaster, Kreider said.
“It’s hard to conceive that all the effort these people have gone through to get ahead is washed away in an instant,” she said. “There is no house or crop insurance for them.”
Tourism to Machu Picchu, a key component to the Cusco economy, is likely to be affected for months since train tracks, some key roads, and bridges have been washed away, Kreider said. More than 2,000 tourists were stranded at the Incan ruins and had to be rescued by government helicopters.
EMM planted churches in Huacarpay and Lucre, among more than 20 churches EMM has started in the Cusco area, said Steve Shank, EMM’s representative for the Americas. Most of the homes in Huacarpay were destroyed.
“All the church members there have been affected by the flooding,” Shank said. “People are now living in tents and eating from a common pot.”
Ruben Carrasco, a pastor of the nearby Mennonite church in San Jeronimo, said another concern is contaminated water.
“We are afraid of diseases that could arise from the flood waters,” he said. “Every time the rains come, people become tense and scared. The damage has been physical, emotional, mental and spiritual.”
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