Archbishop's web site Denver Catholic Register Parishes Catholic Pastoral Center
July 4, 2001
CRS earmarks $50,000 for Peruvian relief
BALTIMORE (CNS) — Catholic Relief Services has released an initial $50,000 to help victims of a June 23 earthquake in Peru.
The quake killed at least 70 people and injured more than 1,200, said Peruvian civil defense officials.
The 8.1 magnitude quake hit areas in southern Peru, from its Pacific coast to inland zones high in the Andes Mountains.
CRS, the U.S. bishops' relief and development agency, said at least 60,000 homes were destroyed, many in difficult-to-reach areas.
"The number of deaths and casualties is expected to rise when contact with these areas is re-established,'' said a June 24 CRS statement.
"CRS partners report that many of the affected areas have no power or water, limited telephone contact and extensive road damage,'' it said.
Compounding the problems for survivors is the cold, wintry, high-altitude weather in the Andes.
News reports from Peru said many of the deaths occurred in the colonial city of Arequipa, almost 8,000 feet above sea level and 630 miles south of the capital of Lima. One of the buildings damaged was the 400-year-old cathedral.
The Andean city of Moquegua, 860 miles south of Lima, also was heavily hit.
Red Cross officials along the Pacific coast reported that a tidal wave caused by the quake claimed lives and homes.
The Peruvian government declared a state of emergency in the damaged area June 24. President-elect Alejandro Toledo visited Arequipa and other damaged towns June 24 before leaving for a previously scheduled visit to the United States.
Toledo said he would ask for international assistance during his U.S. tour.
Peru sits on a major earthquake belt and has had devastating quakes before. The worst in terms of deaths and damage occurred in 1970, when 70,000 people died and more than 600,000 were left homeless in the South American country. Although the epicenter of the 1970 quake was in the Pacific Ocean, in the Andes it triggered a massive avalanche that claimed most of the lives and swept away numerous villages and towns.
CRS is accepting donations to help quake victims. Make checks payable to Catholic Relief Services, indicate donation is for "Peru earthquake." Mail to: Social Concerns Office, Archdiocese of Denver, 1300 S. Steele St., Denver, CO 80210.
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