World Vision and UNICEF Help Quake Victims in Peru...

When I read about the UNICEF and World Vision efforts to help earthquake victims in Peru, it made me recall the intensity 8 quake that rocked my parents' place back home in 1990. Two well-known hotels in the area collapsed then. People we personally knew perished.

The whole city was totally cut off from any means of contact with the outside world for weeks. My brother was in a nearby town and was also cut off from any means of transportation to get back home. The roads were gone. The transportation available could only take him to a nearby town that was 3 hours away by ride from where my parents lived. He had to walk for several hours through the mountainous path amidst continuous rains and aftershocks that caused landslides. We had no news about them for about 2 weeks.

The emotional and psychological trauma are at times more difficult to cope with than the environmental devastation. Hundreds of quake victims in Peru must be going through the same or worse emotional and physical turmoil that my parents and similar earthquake victims have gone through.

For the moment though, the biggest priority is to aid the Peru quake survivors with the basic necessities such as food shelter and clothing...many of the victims still live on the streets. Many of them were among the poorest in the area.

World Vision and UNICEF have responded by providing clean water in the area, medicical supplies, clothing and other basic necessities. Both are coordinating with the Peru government for the long term plan to help the quake victims.

The quake survivors will now have to start the process of rebuilding their lives...