Father Ricardo Cruz, CM, gives us a first-hand report on the devastating floods in Peru which have led to people living in the midst of this crisis situation for more than a month. We often talk about systemic change. However, this seems to be an illustration of what happens when all systems collapse.

I WAS A STRANGER AND YOU WELCOMED ME

At the end of January of this year, no one could have foretold the emergency situation that the country is now experiencing. Life in northern Peru, specifically in the Region of Lambayeque, seemed quite normal and everyone was preparing for the beginning of the 2017 academic year. The truth is that no one realized that the rise in temperature during the last weeks of January was not normal. The temperature rose and suddenly shot up from 22-24 degrees to 28-38 degrees. The sea warmed slowly and the clouds became charged and moved silently across the country.

The Lambayeque Region is in the northern part of Peru. It is divided into three provinces and comprises a total of 38 districts and hundreds of populated centers. It has a population of more than 1.2 million inhabitants. The people are friendly and hard-working and have an extraordinary history. It is the land of the Lord of Sipan. This area, with its large desert plains and cultivated lands, as well as the cities and the villages in the countryside, was suddenly flooded with water that rose to levels that were unseen since the first decades of the last century. The long-time residents of this area said: “We’ve never seen such a situation!”

Torrential rains have caused the collapse of the drainage system of many villages and has made it unsafe to utilize the drinking water. In several places where the roads were paved, there is now nothing but mud and water.  Many places that were linked together by highways, are now inaccessible. At the present time, there are still many isolated villages. The main rivers of the region (the Motupe River, the Leche River, the Reque River) have overflowed and destroyed countless homes, farmlands and farm animals, schools, drinking wells, medical centers, etc.  Above all, the rain has swept away the tranquility and hope of many people.  Nevertheless, this same reality has created a large network of solidarity … a network that is slowly advancing toward the most isolated regions.

We have been living in the midst of this crisis situation for more than a month. In many areas, the schools have been totally destroyed or are flooded with water.  Throughout the region, classes on every level (primary, secondary, and university) have been cancelled.  The city, however, has not been paralyzed … people who can, are working and the main institutions of the city are functioning.  People are adapting to this new reality. Life must go on!

Many people are now housed in tents that have been set up by the municipalities and/or the Ministry of Civil Defense.  Many other families have taken refuge in some house that remains standing and many others are literally living under a tree. Some families, who have had a bit more luck, have received plastic that enables them to cover themselves. It should be noted here that the heat and the sun are still very intense. There has been no rain recently, but according to the forecast, more rain is expected and those rains will continue until the end of March.

Several needs have come to light and have been magnified by the ravages of nature and it should be noted that there are many villages and centers throughout the Lambayeque Region that have been affected by this crisis.

At the parish, we have responded to the emergency in various ways. We have focused our attention on the town of Santa Rosa, an area that was particularly devastated. We have established a soup kitchen there and we are rehabilitating a house that will provide shelter to children, women and the elderly. We have also set up a soup kitchen in the area of Arenal

We have also reached out to a sector called Santa Isabel (an area in the district of Mórrope). There we have established nine centers and in this area alone we are providing about three thousand people with food, clothing and water. In recent days, we have trucked in trucks to the districts of Íllimo, Jayanca and Mochumí.

I want to thank the members of the Vincentian Family, (teachers, lay people of the parish, parents, students and alumni) for their support and solidarity. All of them have been working tirelessly since the beginning of this emergency. The laity have divided themselves in such a manner that they are able to provide to assistance to the people in the various zones of the city of Chiclayo.  It should also be said that many government and private institutions are working hard to help the population … but still there is a need for more assistance.

The questions we ask ourselves as Vincentians are:  after the emergency, then what; after the initial “shock” passes, what’s next? The reconstruction phase will have to be initiated. There will be a need to think of creative ways to generate work for so many women (single-mothers) who have been left with no place of employment.  There will also be a need to provide credit to farmers so that they can plant their field anew and provide food for the people of this nation.  We must also look for ways to help hundreds of young people and children of limited resources continue their studies. In summary, these are questions that require answers that flow from our Vincentian mission and charity. The so called, “outsiders”, who need to be accommodated in this part of the world, are those who have been affected by the rains.

What does the Lord want of the Vincentian missionaries who are preparing to celebrate the 400^th anniversary of the birth of its charism?  Like Jesus, our charity is to be inventive unto infinity.  Therefore, we must go to serve the poor as if we were going to put out a fire.

Translated by: Charles T. Plock, CM

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