For those who survived the Peru earthquake but were displaced from their homes, the nights are chilly now, and the dusty paracas winds are penetrating their makeshift shelters. Ever since the massive quake struck towns and villages south of Lima on August 15, Oxfam has been working to provide aid to the affected areas, focusing particular attention on rural communities.
Oxfam is now supplying clean water to a temporary settlement that has sprung up outside the city of Pisco and, working with local partners, the agency has distributed 2,500 blankets to displaced families in the districts of Humay and Independencia. On Monday, August 27, Oxfam staff will work with another aid provider to erect 34 tents in Humay and the nearby community of Montesierpe, and on Tuesday, August 28, Oxfam will work with community members to begin installing 40 water tanks in Humay.
Coordination among aid providers is crucial to ensuring that everyone's basic needs are met as quickly as possible without duplication of effort. Oxfam is coordinating closely with a variety of local and international aid providers. In Humay, for example, which has a critical shortage of water, Oxfam is joining forces with an organization of firefighters called Bomberos sin Fronteras: the firefighters are installing a treatment plant to purify water, while Oxfam is setting up a distribution system involving trucks, water tanks, and storage bladders to get supplies within reach of the affected communities. From there, Oxfam buckets will help families carry and store their household supplies.
Supplies of water, shelter, and sanitation supplies from an Oxfam warehouse arrived by plane on Friday, August 24, including buckets, water bladders, and materials for 1,000 latrines. But in order to reduce transportation time and expenses and also to provide as much support as possible to the local economy, additional relief materials-including water tanks, and thousands of blankets - are being ordered from vendors in Lima.
Oxfam now has eleven staff members-including specialists in water and sanitation, public health, and shelter-at its base of operations in the city of Pisco. The staff, which continues to assess where the needs are greatest and how to make the most effective use of Oxfam resources and expertise, plans to carry out emergency operations for three months.