Flooding in the Provincias

This is a picture of the Urubamba river at the base of Machu Picchu and Aguas Calietes and the zone of Machu Picchu Pueblo. Elders Jeppesen and Armijo are working there. The Area Office ask us to air lift them out but they pleaded to stay and help the people

While the world had their attention focused on the horrible earthquake of Haiti, Peru was experiencing much more than usual rainfall during their rainy season. Some days the rain would be more than ten inches. This caused massive flooding and mudslides.

As people were displaced from their homes they were moved to these temporarily tent shelters. As many of the homes are made of adobe bricks the homes would desolve like sugar in a bowl only leaving the roof and what furniture they had.

These pictures happen to be of the Sacred Valley and around Urubamba. In December Karen and I drove over this bridge.

The President is standing on the roof of what once was on top of a house. In Urubamba over 1,000 homes were destroyed.

Some of the devistation. None of the missionaries were ever in any danger and are a great help in coming to the aid of the people and the members. Between Ollantaytambo and Machu Picchu there were four major mud slides that whiped out the train tracks. There were around two thousand tourists stranded at Machu Picchu that had to be air lifted out. The Area Office told us to bring out the missionaries but they talked the president into staying They are filling sand bags and helping the people in any way that they can.

The roads were closed between Cusco and Abancay and Cusco and Quillabamba.

Water water everywhere but not a drop to drink. The road covered with water.

Their became lakes which was previously farm land and crops were undated with water.