Since December torrential rains, mudslides and floods in the desert has claimed the lives of 300 Peruvians.  The El Niño driven storms have driven hundreds of thousands from their homes and destroyed large areas of farmland.  The highways are literally destroyed with severe wash outs in over 30 places and 87 bridges damaged  of which 59 have totally collapsed. 
       Travel on the Pan American highway  from Lima to northern Peru requires travel by bus, boat, donkey and walking.  You have to ford five rivers carrying your luggage above your head.  A typical scene is 600 trucks on each side of the river waiting for road crews to make a temporary crossing  while their cargoes of fruits and vegetables are rotting.
       Even the dead were disturbed as dozens of coffins floated down the streets of Trujillo when a large cemetery washed away leaving cadavers in the muddy streets.
      Our own experience was mild by comparison. We were stranded in Chimbote for sometime with out telephone and the roads washed out in all directions.  The Pan American highway was still open when water was high enough to run in the car windows but finally closed when one car was washed off the bridge and the driver drowned in the strong muddy current.

    We build houses of cement, plywood, particle board and estera (woven reeds).  Special thanks to those who contributed to the house building fund.  With so many families losing their houses in the floods and mudslides the need for housing continues to increase dramatically.

    Before the rains came, dozens of people came to us for money to buy plastic to cover their estera (woven reeds) roofs on their houses.  Each family was given enough to cover their house.  The next  day some of the same people were back again asking for the same thing.  This time we went to their house and to our surprise we found that they had spent the money for food and medicine to survive the cholera and other sickness in the family.  So we visited many homes and helped each one by providing for the plastic.  We came home exhausted from the heat, 99 degrees in the shade.  Waiting for us at our door was always more people asking for plastic so we continued to help people in different areas.
      On Christmas Eve the rain came, so the plastic covering was really a wonderful Christmas present for many who were able to keep their beds and clothing dry during the rain.
     We also distributed hundreds of Christmas shoe boxes and clothing to the poor .  Special thanks to those who participated in the Christmas shoe box project.

       While we were in Chimbote, a desert city, it rained several times turning thousands of woven reed homes with dirt floors into mud puddles.  It was the first time the natives had ever seen lightning. 
        Over 300 were left homeless on the south side of Chimbote in the area of Villa Maria.  We worked with the local church in this area where the flooding was severe in distributing clothing to those who lost everything in the flood.

Police assist travelers across the river near Chimbote