In my thoughts...
Last night a friend sent me a text message that Peru had been hit by an earthquake, but it wasn't until today that I was able to get much information.
It turns out that Pisco, south of Lima, was the hardest hit.
I spent my last 2 nights in Peru, in Pisco.
Now, it's 70% gone, with over 200 dead, and an impassable highway between it and Lima, or aid.
This marina was only a few minutes from Pisco. I didn't take any pictures of the town, because it was, then, just an ordinary Peruvian town. Now, I can't recognize it.
http://www.cnn.com/2007/WORLD/americas/08/16/peru.earthquake/index.html#cnnSTCVideo
This 8.0 earthquake would be devastating anywhere, but especially in a 3rd world country, in a very poverty-stricken area. I don't know if any modern buildings could withstand this strength of earthquake, but most of the houses I saw in Pisco are straw and mud. 60 percent of Peruvians live on a dollar a day or less...this kind of poverty is difficult, if not impossible, to imagine if you got a lucky roll of the dice and were born in the US. Adding an immense natural disaster to the equation paints a bleak picture.
Every year, this time of year, my school does the Combined Charities campaign, which I run-we can make one-time donations or monthly withdrawals from our paychecks for all types of charities. I know what I will be donating to...my heart goes out to Peru.
http://www.cnn.com/SPECIALS/2007/impact/
My birthday is tomorrow....if you were planning on getting something and haven't gotten around to it yet, I'd be touched if you donated to a worthy cause, because I sure don't need any stuff. I have a roof over my head, food in the fridge, electricity and running water. It's easy to forget that the rest of the world doesn't live this way.
It turns out that Pisco, south of Lima, was the hardest hit.
I spent my last 2 nights in Peru, in Pisco.
Now, it's 70% gone, with over 200 dead, and an impassable highway between it and Lima, or aid.
This marina was only a few minutes from Pisco. I didn't take any pictures of the town, because it was, then, just an ordinary Peruvian town. Now, I can't recognize it.http://www.cnn.com/2007/WORLD/americas/08/16/peru.earthquake/index.html#cnnSTCVideo
This 8.0 earthquake would be devastating anywhere, but especially in a 3rd world country, in a very poverty-stricken area. I don't know if any modern buildings could withstand this strength of earthquake, but most of the houses I saw in Pisco are straw and mud. 60 percent of Peruvians live on a dollar a day or less...this kind of poverty is difficult, if not impossible, to imagine if you got a lucky roll of the dice and were born in the US. Adding an immense natural disaster to the equation paints a bleak picture.
Every year, this time of year, my school does the Combined Charities campaign, which I run-we can make one-time donations or monthly withdrawals from our paychecks for all types of charities. I know what I will be donating to...my heart goes out to Peru.
http://www.cnn.com/SPECIALS/2007/impact/
My birthday is tomorrow....if you were planning on getting something and haven't gotten around to it yet, I'd be touched if you donated to a worthy cause, because I sure don't need any stuff. I have a roof over my head, food in the fridge, electricity and running water. It's easy to forget that the rest of the world doesn't live this way.
Comments
I appreciate your commentary. Kinda puts everything into perspective in a heart-wrenching way.
Birthday love to you, dear Linnea.