Peruvian disaster

Devastating floods in Cusco are being ignored by the world's media as it focuses on Haiti

While the world's attention is focused on the relief efforts in Haiti, weeks of rain in the Andes has caused devastating floods near the ancient Inca city of Machu Picchu. Twenty people have so far been confirmed dead, but as Andrew Dare reports exclusively for WideWorld from Cusco, as the streets there turn to raging rivers, the people going through this hell are suffering alone. How long before the world takes notice?

After weeks of continuous rains in the high Andes, on Sunday, January 24th, just as it got dark, a huge storm hit the highland region again. Three times the monthly norm fell that night, causing the worse floods for years. Streets in Cusco were turned into raging rivers with rapids that I would consider to be grade three - if they were actually in a river. The waters washed houses away, demolished bridges and caused landslides all over the city - and much worse in the province.

Peru’s most famous tourist attraction, Machu Picchu, was also in the firing line. An Argentinean tourist and Peruvian Guide were killed on the Inca Trail when a huge landslide swept down the mountainside, killing them in their tents, and the trail was closed, forcing trekkers back without the reward of getting to see it after their four-day trip.

The ancient citadel itself was not damaged, mainly due to the excellent draining and building skills of the Incas. The only access into Aguas Calientes, the nearby village, however, is by train, and the tracks have now been washed away in many places, and in other parts the line has been buried deep under thousands of tonnes of mud and landslides.

The Peruvian government was quick to launch a huge evacuation programme using 10 helicopters, and in a few days everyone was safely removed to Cusco. But it will be a long time before the ruins are open, or even able to receive any visitors again.

Unfortunately the mighty PR power of Machu Picchu has rather taken over what little news coverage there has been, pushing the real story to the back pages. Many, many mountain villages in the provinces of Cusco, and Arequipa have been damaged beyond belief, by floods, landslides and the power of raging rivers.

Lucre, a popular village visited by the locals of Cusco at the weekends and just 15 minutes down the road, was hit severely. The little stream flowing through the centre turned into a devastating torrent in seconds, washing cars into houses and demolishing them; whole streets were simply washed away.

The water continued downward into the lakeside town of Huacarpay, a further two minutes down the valley. Here the whole town was flooded and as it was made of adobe (mud and straw) they all collapsed. The villagers scrambled to the higher ground above the village, where they still are living now in makeshift shelters and tents donated by the Cusco communities.

Another five minutes down the valley near the Urabamba river, was the village of Pinipampa. The Urabamba flooded over the banks and roared into the village that night, inundating everything in its path. Two metres of water flowed in and even now – a week after the first floods – the village is still under one-and-a-half metres of water.

The popular tourist destination of Pisac, a two-minute ride over the mountain and popular for its huge Inca Terraces and markets, is now having problems too. The only bridge into town was washed away by the force of the Urabamba river, which for added impact also washed away the nearby police station too.

Further down the Sacred Valley it’s a similar story. Calca has 3,695 people affected by the floods, Urabamba has 2,290 affected, Parcatambo 1,590, Pauro 2,680… and so the story continues. The latest figures are shocking, with over 25,000 houses damaged and 80,000 people affected in the Cusco region alone.

The most amazing fact, though, is the resilience and community spirit of Peruvian people. The very next day, groups, companies and individuals were setting up donation sites and trucking aid down to those affected. You have to marvel at this, as the people doing the donating and helping do not have much themselves – it's all very humbling.

My Peruvian friends and I decided to do something about it too, and set about making a plan. We chipped in, buying 200 litres of drinks, a hundred or so tins of food, biscuits, candles and matches, toilet paper, fruit and lots of sweets – comfort food for the kids. A local company, Incargo, which organises agricultural projects, donated its huge pickup and we set off to help.

First we visited Lucre which we all knew and loved from weekend visits. A terrible sight awaited us: the high street was all but washed away and the street behind it  completely flattened. Families were sifting through the mud and debris with their bare hands trying to find any possessions they had left. Witnessing the small joy they shared at finding the odd plate or cup amongst the rubble reduced me to tears.

One mother was clutching on to a prized photograph completely covered in mud. Her son, meanwhile, was staring down at the roof where his room was, holding on to a solitary muddy toy in his hand – his only possession.

We helped a woman who had salvaged her cooker and had made some rice for her neighbours in the rubble and she eagerly added some tuna to the big pot, which must have made things a bit tastier than now-cold, plain rice.

After distributing half our goods, we headed off to Pinipampa a bit farther down the valley. Depressingly, it was actually hard to find it as it was completely submerged under two metres of dirty brown water.

There were just a few rooves showing above the water line and one had a family perched on top, still waiting for help. The villagers had tied three tyre inner-tubes  together and were using them to rescue the remaining people. We stopped to give out the remaining food and water. People were running along the side of the newly formed lake to reach us. I will never forget the sadness in their eyes mixed with the brief excitement of receiving some help.

The rebuilding is set to take a long long time and it's not helping that the rains are still relentless, which is only going to produce more misery. More landslides and floods are inevitable.

To donate to the relief effort, contact The Happiness Centre in Ilkley by calling 01943 601 517

Andrew Dare is a professional yacht skipper, writer and photographer. He is currently based  in Cusco, Peru. For more information, visit: wanderingbear.info