FHI helped several hundred victims of a
freak hailstorm and ensuing floods in greater La Paz on February 19.
The storm left 69 dead and 100 families
homeless along the banks of the Choqueyapu river, which runs through the
heart of La Paz. The areas just outside of the city were especially hard
hit, where the river burst its banks and covered small farms with mud and
garbage.
The report below comes from FHI/Bolivia's central office in La Paz, located only a few kilometres outside of the downtown area. Water in downtown La Paz ripped up road surfaces and collapsed brick walls on historic buildings, in some cases killing building occupants and passers-by. Other pedestrians and street vendors were drowned by torrents of water rushing through the narrow downtown streets.
Report from FHI/Bolivia staff
FHI/Bolivia decided to contact several local churches to determine their capacity and interest in responding to the emergency, both in identifying needs and in assembling people to respond.
Of these contacts, members of the nondenominational church at Pasaje Kuljis identified a member, missionary Juan Soza, who works with a German NGO Soforthilfe (Ayuda Inmediata), as someone with extensive contacts with the homeless throughout La Paz . Secondly, members of the Iglesia Evangelica Luterana El Redentor referred FHI/Bolivia to a group of youth in the church who work with street children, Amor en Acción, led by missionaries Mike and Cynthia Fehrenbach of the World Mission Prayer League. FHI/Bolivia decided to work specifically with these two groups because of their established contacts with the poor throughout La Paz, and because they are known and trusted.
FHI/Bolivia bought emergency supplies such as blankets, socks, diapers, toilet paper, milk, rice, sugar, wheat and pasta. Additionally staff organised an interoffice clothing and food drive to provide relief supplies to the two groups.
Ayuda Inmediata helped to relocate a group of 22 homeless people who were living behind the Camacho market, but whose belongings were washed away during the storms. They were moved to some land in the El Alto area. They then helped them with blankets, clothing, and supplementary food. They also distributed relief supplies to 25 homeless people living under the large bridge Puente de las Americas in La Paz who had been affected by the rains. Another 16 homeless people living near the bridge at Vita and 8 homeless people in Tembladerani received relief supplies.
Amor en Acción went to lower, surrounding zones such as Rio Abajo and even further into small farming communities outside of La Paz. Much damage occurred in these communities since all the rain and hail that fell in La Paz washed down into these areas. Croplands were covered, some houses swept away, and belongings lost. In the farming community of Kachapa, a village of 100 people without electricity, water or plumbing, much of their cropland was wiped out because the river burst its banks. It wiped out a flood wall, and one house was swept away. Amor en Acción distributed relief supplies of blankets, food and clothing to 100 people in this community. Additionally they went even further away from La Paz and helped 37 people who suffered losses due to the storm in Huaricana Arriba and Huaricana Abajo, and another family in a small village called Tayawinto who lost their home in the storm.
The Cochabamba regional office of FHI/Bolivia took an offering for the victims of the rains in the La Paz area. The amount collected will go to help the family in Tayawinto rebuild their home.