Earthquake Update from Union Biblica

In the wee hours of the night - we received an update from our friends and long term collaborative partners Union Biblica. The message, written by the Director of Union Biblica del Peru Paul Clark and his wife Marty, is pasted below:

"Dear friends all over the world!

How grateful we are for friends like you! During the past 24 hours, we have received more than 60 e-mails asking for news and assuring us of your prayers. We have also received phone calls from 10 of you who were able to make connection. We know that several others tried to no avail. The phones are working for periods of time and then they are cut again. We want to assure you that we personally along with Phoebe, our granddaughter, are safe as well as Billy, our son, and his family. It was quite frightening at the time as it lasted for 2 minutes which is quite long for an earthquake. Since then we have had dozens of aftershocks (tremors). All schools were closed today and Peru, especially from Lima towards the south to Ica, has been declared in a state of emergency.

The epicenter of the 8.0 earthquake that we experienced at 6:40 p.m. yesterday (August 15) was near the city of Pisco (100 plus miles south of Lima), along the Nazca Fault Line that runs along our Pacific Coast. It is estimated that 80% of the city was destroyed. The death count has passed the 500 mark and is steadily rising.

Some of you will remember Ica, the city in the dry desert where water is always scarce. Today, with the old pipelines shattered, there is no water. God has blessed us with one of the few wells in Ica. We have opened the gates and people are coming in to fill their pails with water from our pool. There is no electricity in the town at this time, so we cannot activate the 150 foot deep well. Once we can, we'll keep the water flowing. Our 5 Ica camp tents are being used by S.U. volunteers whose houses have collapsed. No damage was done to any of our buildings that are under construction for a new street boys' home and campsite.

The bridge between Lima and Ica has collapsed and meager help is therefore slow to get through. Our local news is full of pictures of people in the rubble beside dead bodies, quite lost as to knowing what to do. Having asked ourselves 'what would Jesus do?', we have decided to give away our Kawai tents, used in our camping season (Jan.-Mar) People out in the open, need help now. Marco Cordova (Ica staff worker) will receive them from us at the bridge and assures us he can get them over to those who need them.

Jose Principe (Pepe) is our staff worker in Arequipa. He is safe, but huge, thick adobe walls crashed in his home near Ica.

Several of you have asked about Kawai. Rosa, Raul and the 30 abandoned boys, some of them badly frightened, gathered in front of Casa Girasoles to sing and pray. Our Lord quieted them. No major damage was done there.

Abdon and Hermenegilda's house will have to be torn down. Severely damaged, it was on the verge of collapsing. This poses an immense financial problem for us. They have been moved to Villa Margarita for the moment.

Sadly, parts of the stained glass window of the Kawai Chapel is broken. But, we praise God for no loss of life.

40 feet of the southern boundary wall fell down and will have to be rebuilt.

We do not yet know the condition of the 48 schools we work in throughout that area nor details of the four and a half thousand children who are in our Christian Value classes.

Last minute: even as this letter is being written, Linda (our schools National Director) phoned in tears. Those of you who have worked in the schools near Kawai and Mala, will remember Alan, our staff worker. He lives with his sister, mother and grandmother in Chincha. Their house is now completely gone - a mound of earth and broken adobes covering their belongings. Linda and Moises, her husband, will leave tomorrow at 6 a.m. taking with them some supplies and particularly water, of which Alan has none. They, like others, have not had water for more than 24 hours now.

Many of you asked: What can we do? What do you need? Let us know how we can help. I would like to be of assistance if I can from this distance. Can we help? Anything we foreign supporters can do to help? Please let us know if we can help in anyway. Please let us know of any additional needs.

So, we have made a list that you might be able to help towards. Obviously, you cannot send blankets, warm clothing, nor food which is being collected here in Lima through some of the churches and civic organizations . . . but, at this moment, we need:

* House for Abdon (good construction, not adobe) $20,000.
* Help for Alan $5,000
* 30 tents for Kawai to replace those being given @$90 each
* 40 ft. of wall @$40 per ft. $1,600

Donations from the U.K. can be sent to S.U. (scripture Union) England for their Peru account earmarked for the project you would like to participate in. From the U.S., a personal check can be made out to Union Biblica del Peru and sent to:

Union Biblica del Peru
% Paul Clark
Apartado 3159
Lima 1, Peru

The check needs to state in the memo section how you want it used.

We have a work team from S.U. England in Kawai until Saturday. The Oak Hall (England) team that arrived last night spent their first day in Chosica due to the road to Kimo being covered with rocks and debris. They have been clearing it today and tomorrow, the bus will take off with the group of 23 for the jungle. Another team from New York is in Kusi, so the work goes on in the midst of earthquakes!! "

As more information is made available, HBI will post updates to this Blog. Once again, please join me in praying for the people of Peru. They must know that they are not alone!