Monday, October 22, 2007

 

Earthquake Aid to Peru Provides Pattern for Disaster Assistance

 

By Ralph Dannheisser

Washington, 15 October – In this era of global interdependence, the international response to the recent devastating earthquake in Peru provides a good example of a coordinated effort to deal with a disaster.

That coordination can be seen between U.S. agencies and departments responding to the crisis, among governments around the world that responded with quick aid, and between governments and nongovernmental groups focused on disaster assistance.

Relief efforts kicked into gear immediately after an 8.0 magnitude quake struck the coast of Peru on August 15, killing more than 500 people, injuring more than 1,800 and leaving tens of thousands homeless.

The quake and several powerful aftershocks destroyed more than 58,000 homes, according to the Peruvian government, forcing many of the survivors in a vast disaster area surrounding the cities of Pisco and Ica to live in the streets.

Officials said the quake had damaged 103 hospitals and destroyed 14 of them. Damage to roads and other infrastructure left remote mountain communities all but inaccessible.

The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) quickly sprang into action.

A day after the quake, U.S. Ambassador to Peru P. Michael McKinley declared a disaster based on its effects. That prompted USAID to fund the local purchase and transport of emergency relief supplies to the most seriously affected areas.  (See related article.)

The agency also deployed a six-person assessment team that, acting jointly with State Department personnel, began monitoring conditions and providing regular updates.

Between September 11 and 13, USAID airlifted from Miami 800 rolls of plastic sheeting to help meet shelter needs. The sheeting was used in a program, funded through USAID and carried out by private relief agencies including CARE, Caritas Internationalis and World Vision, to provide temporary shelter to as many as 4,500 families in four seriously affected provinces.

Those groups also set out to provide water, sanitation and hygiene support where such facilities had been crippled. The Peruvian Corps of Voluntary Firefighters, long a party to a technical assistance and training relationship with USAID, assisted with program implementation.

By September 14, the humanitarian funding provided by USAID had risen to more than $2.5 million.

Meanwhile, the Department of Defense contributed another $600,000 in assistance, bringing the total U.S. effort to nearly $3.2 million. Defense Department medical teams provided critical health services in the affected areas, as well as supplies and air support.

On the international front, the U.N. Development Program took charge of a U.N. emergency team, following departure of the U.N. Disaster Assessment and Coordination team initially on the scene. The International Organization for Migration distributed 5,000 winterized tents for the homeless.

Many individual nations and groups of nations played their role in the coordinated relief effort as well.

The European Commission, for example, provided an early 2 million euros (about 2.8 million dollars) in aid, and then earmarked another 6 million euros (8.4 million dollars) on September 20.

"There are still more than 250,000 people who … remain displaced without appropriate shelter, or are relocated in temporary shelters with limited access to basic water and sanitation facilities. And they need our aid," said Louis Michel, the European Commissioner in charge of humanitarian aid and development.

The United Kingdom announced on August 30 that it would contribute 750,000 pounds (about 1.5 million dollars), beyond its shares of a fund assembled by the United Nations and of the EC donation.

A range of nongovernmental organizations, many religion-based, also helped.

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints provided needed supplies to the stricken area. An air shipment from the church's headquarters in Salt Lake City, Utah, included approximately 80 tons of food, medicine, surgical supplies, hygiene kits and other items.

Aid will continue, said church official Russell Nelson, "because the hearts of the members want to help."

More than a month after the quake, Rick Miller, who coordinates Southern Baptist relief efforts in the area, reported that the Peruvians still "need help with debris removal before they can even begin to rebuild their homes." He deemed continued private relief efforts critical.

Miller noted that his denomination’s help included a contribution from its World Hunger Fund that established community kitchens in 50 locations. Food kits of rice, noodles, lentils and oil are being supplemented locally with potatoes and chicken or fish – enough to feed 5,000 people for up to two months.

Besides agencies like Oxfam International, an umbrella group for 13 nongovernmental organizations providing traditional assistance, other groups filled their own specialized niches. The Richmond Fellowship Peru, for example, set up a program to provide psychological aid to survivors suffering from post traumatic stress. The Canadian Animal Assistance Team and Amazon Cares joined forces to provide veterinarians and technicians for animals affected by the earthquake.

Faced with Peru’s suffering, the world responded.

For related stories, see Humanitarian Assistance and Refugees.

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(Ralph Dannheisser is a USINFO Special Correspondent.  The Bureau of International Information Programs, U.S. Department of State, produces USINFO.  Web site: http://usinfo.state.gov)