International Aid is sending relief supplies
to Peru following a devastating earthquake which struck the country on
June 23.
The earthquake, which registered 8.1
on the Richter scale and was the strongest quake to hit Peru in 30 years,
killed 140 people, injured more than 1,400 and left 50,000 families without
shelter.
One mother from the hard hit city of Arequipa cried out: "My home is wiped out and my family is on the street."
"We are reaching out to help the people of Peru," says Sonny Enriquez, International Aid's Disaster Relief Coordinator. "I spoke to a pastor in the city of Arequipa and he said the needs are still great. A total of 22 aftershocks have kept the people on edge and also caused more damage. People are still sleeping in the streets and parks during the cold winter nights because of the fear of more aftershocks."
International Aid is sending such relief items as hygiene kits, blankets, prescription drugs, baby layette kits and medical supplies to hard-hit areas of southern Peru where they will be distributed by a mission partner agency working in the area. Some of the supplies - with an estimated value of $227,000 -- are targeted for an orphanage which was partially destroyed by the earthquake.
Reporting from International Aid Headquarters in Spring Lake, MI.
For more information on this press release or other media inquiries, please contact IA's Media Relations Manager, Jerry Dykstra at (616) 846-7490.