URGENT CALL FOR HELP-Cusco Underwater URGENT CALL FOR HELP-Cusco Underwater

01.02.2010
Friends, after spending all morning with my wonderful partner-right hand Andy going door to door asking for donations to take to people in Hucarpay and getting few but valuable donations in the form of clothing, food and medicines from the most economically humble people as usual (thank you!) I decided to find a car at all cost and go to Huacarpay. I was able to get my neighbor (gracias Alejandro) to take me and Marco, a friend I invited to help me document with his camera the situation in Huacarpay.
My main goals for this trip were to lift/gather as much information as possible about people's overall situation, identify their present pressing needs, meet and connect with the representatives in Huacarpay chosen by the 10 clusters of people taking refuge on a hill to organize aid efforts on their behalf, and check on their health situation. I am glad to report that thanks to Zenobio and Jhon Valencia who are from Huacarpay and through whom we have been organizing aid efforts since Monday, we met all 10 local delegates responsible for helping receive, organize and distribute whatever aid arrives. We spoke to lots of people today staying in different parts of the hill and gathered a lot of very useful information from all of them.
foto M. Moscoso


As of today, there are 315 families (Apprx. 1,575 people) taking refuge on a hill since Sunday night and most do not have tents or even plastic to protect them from the constant rain falling particularly at night. Other great concerns people in Huacarpay have expressed include not having cell phones or a way to charge the few cell phones they do have. They have lost everything and are unable to communicate with people in centric Cusco or families that might be able to help them in other parts of Cusco and Peru. They also are very worried about outsiders who are posing as aid workers or relatives and are stealing at night electricity readers, TV antennas and whatever they find to be of value.


 Here are the things people in Huacarpay urgently need as of today: TENTS, PLASTIC, COVERS, COATS, JACKETS, SWEATERS, WATER, DIEPERS FOR THEIR BABIES, ELECTRICITY, HEAVY EQUIPMENT TO CLEAR ROADS AND DRAIN WATER AND SECURITY/HELP FROM AUTHORITIES GUARDING THE FEW THINGS THEY STILL HAVE.


Lastly, they ask kindly that anyone bringing material donations or who are interested in helping them, please report to the school at the base of the hill they are now on and coordinate all aid efforts with the 10 chosen representatives in charge of recepting donations, making an inventory, and organizing distribution of all donations received. This is very important for aid workers to do to avoid distributing donations in a way that promotes chaos, disorganization, unfairness and disorder. Those of you outside of Peru interested in helping by making a monetary donation, can email me at lacasademayten@gmail.com and I will email you my account information. We will be working directly with locals in Huacarpay and will be sure to provide all people who donate from outside of Peru information about our immediate projects and financial needs regarding Huacarpay.

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