The Sacred Valley: Without a Home, Without Food, Without a Voice

The Sacred Valley: Without a Home, Without Food, Without a Voice

I can write about the statistics. Those that say 80% of the houses in the Province of Urubamba were destroyed, but one can learn the numbers easily. I can explain what is happening with the 1500 tourists in Machu Picchu, their evacuation, but the news is already saturated with that story. What is missing, and what is most important, is the voice of the affected Peruvians. What are they doing? What do they need? What happened?
Through my work in community development with the civil association, I have had the opportunity to speak with many people in the Sacred Valley and their stories are always similar. At about two in the morning, the river reached and entered their houses. They rushed to grab their children and, if they were lucky, a few small items that they could carry. They had to flee from the water, leaving their homes, farmlands, and all their possessions. Still, days later, they tell it with a sense of disbelief in their eyes. They are left with nothing, and the story doesn’t end there.

As the water recedes, a new flood of debris, mud, and dark blue Civil Defense tents appears. Plazas, fields, and other open spaces fill with people looking for food, water, clothes, and a place to sleep. Others, with better luck or more resources, work with their local municipalities or as independent volunteers to help with the distribution of alimentation and clothing, the salvage of building materials from what were once houses, or with the coordination of aid. The central government has almost no presence. Up to the 29th of January, it was busy sending helicopters for the tourists in Machu Picchu while their citizens, those who already were living in poverty, fight to reconstruct all that they have lost. The same can be said for the international news. But still, there is hope.

In spite of all that has happened- the flood, destruction, loss- the people of the Sacred Valley remain strong, ready to help and move forward. It is this same strength that allowed the spirit of the Incas to survive here, in the sierra. The ferocity of the conquistadores, the racism, oppression, terrorism, and even the influence of other countries could not erase the culture of the people. Here it remains. Their dress, music, language, and dances still exist. Without food, security, housing, one can still see people working together, sometimes laughing- surviving. This is to have hope. All they need is some help.

If you are able to help in any way, please contact me, Diva Tyler through email, at abetterworld4tomorrow@gmail.com.


New Flooding, Old Story: Loss, Destruction and Lack of Assistance in Taray

By Ian McGroarty
The news if full of stories of disaster: the earthquake in Haiti, the stronger earthquake in Chile, the following tsunamis, etc. But almost no one mentions what is happening right here in Peru. Almost no one is talking about the thousands of people in the Sacred Valley still living in tents from the floods at the end of January, and the hundreds more joining them from the floods of March. They do not receive any recognition- not even from their own country.

On March 1st, Taray, a small district of Calca, was overrun with water from the Quesermayo River killing seven and destroying eighty percent of the town. The next day more than a meter of mud filled the plaza. Roads looked more like rivers as the water continued to flow through the town. Houses were reduced to piles of wood and mud. People worked to salvage what they could from the pools of water where their houses once stood. Others stood in line for bales of hay in an attempt to create solid ground.

Through working in community development, and most recently in disaster relief with the civil association Nexos Voluntarios, I have seen similar situations throughout the Sacred Valley over a little more than the last month; destruction, loss, and displacement on such a scale that almost everyone surveys the scene with disbelief. However, this last visit to Taray struck me as the worst. There was worse damage, more loss of life, and less assistance. But what is the most troubling, is that more than a month has passed since the first flood. Why are there still people without help? The flooding is no longer without warning. It already happened. Yet awareness and assistance from the majority of the country is nonexistent.

The Civil Defense provided half of the tents necessary to shelter the damnificados of Taray and nothing more. One hundred families who had already lost everything had to sleep through the cold Andean nights without even a blanket. The next day the town of Pisac was flooded, killing more and leaving many without even the most basic necessities.

Towns affected by the initial wave of flooding, which began January 24th, are still searching for resources to rebuild. The damnificados in towns such as Yucay, Calca, and Qoya still live in tents in crowded temporary camps. Doctors fear disease outbreaks. Municipalities and local organizations fear food shortages. Everyone fears more rain.

Thanks to private donations and coordination efforts by local municipalities, most of those affected by the floods have food, clothing, water, and some form of shelter. But resources are scarce, and there are still many without assistance and many more lacking basics such as blankets. It has been over a month since the first flood. The question the people of Peru need to ask is “Why?” Why is the central government not helping? Why is there no national outrage?

With so much time having passed since the initial flooding, we can no longer say it is only the fault of the government. The lack of awareness is everyone’s fault. It is obvious that the government will not independently offer assistance, so it is now the people’s turn to demand it.

If you are able to help in any way, please contact me, Diva Tyler through email, at abetterworld4tomorrow@gmail.com.



Flood Report: The Sacred Valley


Background:

On the morning of January 25, 2010, due to unprecedented heavy rainfall, rivers and lakes of the Sacred Valley began to overflow and flood nearby towns. By January 26, the Federal government, with Supreme Decree Nº 015-2010-PCM, had declared a state of emergency in the provinces of Calca, Quispicanchis, Cusco, Urubamba, La Convención, Anta, Canas, Canchis, Paucartambo, Acomayo and Paruro in the department of Cusco, as well as in the entire department of Apurímac, for a duration of 60 days.


80 percent of the homes in the Sacred Valley have been destroyed. Many victims affected by the flooding are still living in tents beside the rubble of their homes, in the local school, or in parks. The only remaining connection to Cusco is the bridge in Urubamba. Since the major, original flooding, there has been accumulative damage on a daily basis due to continued flooding and landslides.


Despite lack of support from the Federal government, local Municipal governments and other organizations are doing what they can to alleviate the situation of the vicitms and coordinate assistance efforts, but the existing resources are not sufficient to address the entire problem.


Statistics:

The following towns are only a sample of those affected by the flooding.



Calca Qoya Huallabamba Pisac Taray
Number of Victims Families: 206
People: 915

Dead: 20

Orphaned: 8
175 people Families: 88
People: 540

Wounded: 2
Adults: 809
Children: 672

Dead: 9

Orphaned: 25
Families: 225
People: 733

Dead: 7

Where the victims are living With another family, or in tents in the public park With another family, or in tents throughout the town. 50% in tents in the local market, 50% with another family In tents at the market or around town, or with another family In tents in the grade school Taray or with another family
What the vicitims need most Housing, food, school supplies Construction materials, crops, school supplies Construction materials Food, blankets, children’s clothing Food
What the Municipalities need Machinery to clean up rubble and debris and fix the streets Transportati-on to assist victims who live in more remote regions Food Doctors Transportati-on to assist victims who live in more remote regions
Governement assistance received by the affected towns Federal government: Nothing
Regional governementFood

Civil Defense Brigade (CDB): 100 tents
Federal governmentNothing
Regional government

Tools

CDB:

Food and tents
Federal government: Nothing
Regional government: 200 gallons of fuel

CDB: Tents, blankets, clothing, food
Federal government:
Nothing

Regional goverment:

Food

CDB: tents, blankets, mattresses
Federal government Nothing
Regional government

Machinery

CDB: Tents, blankets, mattresses

What the Municipalities are doing Preventative campaigns and natural disaster education Support for agricultural activities; crops and livestock Support in the form of food and clothing Preventative campaigns, maps of danger zones Coordination of support with Calca and Pisac
Most urgent concerns The health of the flood victims Continued flooding and the isolation of communities Health of the vicitms, lack of food, lack of monetary resources Lack of preventative measures Lack of food, the health of the victims
Primary
damage
Destruction and deterioration of farms, 100 collapsed houses and 105 uninhabitable houses, 1 collapsed bridge, 1 destroyed school 71 destroyed houses, 744 destroyed crop fields, 1 collapsed bridge, streets affected 1 school affected, streets affected, 43 houses destroyed and 35 affected, crops destroyed 30 highways destroyed, 2 highways affected, 1 motor vehicle bridge affected, 20 pedestrian bridges affected, 1 collapsed school, 29 collapsed homes, 89 uninhabitable homes, 264 affected homes, 30% of the water system affected, sewage system destroyed, crops destoryed and livestock lost 124 collapsed homes, 101 uninhabitable homes, 219 affected homes, 2 affected schools, 1 affected health center, 5 pedestrian bridges destroyed, 3 motor vehicle bridges destroyed, 5 rural passes destroyed, 41 roads affected, 20% of the water and sewage system affected, crops and livestock lost
Source of information COE1 Asistente Tecnico
Calca
Municipality of Qoya Municipality of Huallabamba C.O.E.P. Pisac2 Municipality of Wayna Taray

Needs:

•Reconstruction of housing in safe locations: Many flood victims are still living in poor quality tents that leak rain and don’t allow the inhabitants to protect themselves from the cold at night. To avoid the repetition of this type of damage in future years, it is necessary to rebuild homes in safe areas.
•Public infrastructure: There has been severe damage to public infrastructure in the affected towns, but a lack of economic and physical resources (such as machinery) inhibit the reparation of these damages. Streets, schools, bridges, health centers, water and sewage systems, and telephone, radio and internet services have been affected.
•Rubble and debris clean-up: The majority of the homes destroyed were made of adobe, and have been transformed into piles of mud, wood, and roofs. Abandonded goods have also created large quantities of garbage in the affected towns.
•Disease prevention and health campaigns: In towns like Urubamba and Yucay, more than 100 victims are living in tents in temporary campsites, without sufficient space and hygiene facilities. For this reason, doctors fear outbreaks of disease.
•Central coordination: There are numerous private organizations helping the affected towns, along with the Municipalities of the different regions. However, there is no common effort and no common information center to coordinate assistance, and as a result the aid of Municipalities and other organizations is uneven distributed. A strong central entity is needed to coordinate among all the Municipalities, and organizations.
•Food and clean water: Though victims displaced from their homes now have food, the populations in communities where it is difficult to access the Municipality, either because of the destruction of rural roads or because of distance, have difficulty accessing clean water. Communties not reached by private donations have even greater difficulties. Many affected zones have lost at least part of their water system; in Taray, for example, 80% of their clean water comes from private donations.
•Clothing: The victims had to flee their homes with only the clothes on their backs. There are still communities in which people do not have enough clothing, sometimes for a particular age or sex (for example, there is generally enough clothing for women, but there is a huge lack of children’s clothing).
•School supplies: Due to damages to schools and homes, many students do not have school supplies or the resources to buy them.
•Machinery: Machinery is very useful, not only in cleaning up affected towns and fixing infastructure, but also in preventing future disasters of this measure. Qoya is a perfect example; a year before the flooding, Qoya purchased a excavating backhoe, and they used it during the flooding to maintain the towns infrastructure and build blockade walls to stop the water. Qoya has only 175 vicitms, while the other towns mentioned have between 500 and 1000 victims.


Conclusion:

Though each affected town is different, their needs are generally the same. Private donations provide support in the form of food, clothing, and school supplies. However, support from the Federal government is necessary to carry out reconstruction initiatives in terms of both coordination, machinery, etc. As shown by statistics, much assistance is still needed, especially in the long term. Municipal governments and other organizations do not have the ability to rebuild when it comes to public services and infrastructure, and they therefore require the assistance of the Federal government or international organizations.