Peruvian church organizes aid for victims of magnitude 8 quake

Published: 2007-08-16

LIMA, Peru (CNS) -- Peru's Catholic Church is organizing humanitarian aid for thousands of victims of a magnitude 8 earthquake, collecting donations of food, water and blankets and channeling financial assistance to the affected region. Roberto Tarazona of the national office of Caritas, the church's humanitarian and social development agency, said Aug. 16 his office had been in contact with bishops in the affected area and that a Caritas team was en route to the area to assess the damage and coordinate aid efforts. While Caritas' immediate response is humanitarian assistance, he said, people will need even more help in the weeks following the Aug. 15 quake, because aid tends to dry up once the immediate crisis is past. The areas most affected will have to rebuild "production infrastructure, schools, community buildings, houses, water systems," Tarazona said. Officials reported at least 437 people were killed and more than 1,000 injured in the disaster, but the figures were expected to rise as rescue workers searched the rubble for victims and survivors. The National Civil Defense Institute said Aug. 16 it had registered 16,600 families whose homes had been destroyed.

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