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(L e français suit ).
Hello,
My name is Liliana Chiroque and I have been living in Canada for almost 14 years. I have a beautiful family, a supportive and loving husband and a bubbling, smart and healthy eight-year old daughter. I feel blessed by Life and grateful for all the opportunities I had since I first arrived in Canada from Peru. Peru is a small country but diverse and vibrant in many respects. Its people are warm, gentle and friendly. They are so kind with children. My daughter Isabelle had such a wonderful time last year when we visited the Amazon Rain Forest and the Andean city of Cusco where my mother comes from. My mother and my father both migrated to Lima, the capital city where I was born. My father passed away in 2008. He came from Piura, a small city in the North of Peru, where life used to be peaceful and quiet. The average temperature in the Summer would be about 30C degrees and 19C degrees in the Winter. In Piura, people would still take their afternoon siestas outside on their porches, and the neighborhood kids could run in and out of any house. The days are long in Piura and beaches like Mancora are very popular among surfers.
This year, “El Nino” has brought unprecedented amounts of rain in the North of Peru. Several rivers have overflown, bringing landslides and devastation along the way. The only surviving brother of my father and his wife were evacuated on the evening of March 26th. Communication infrastructure has been damaged. However, they were finally able to contact my sister in Lima. In the phone call my uncle had with my sister, my uncle’s voice would break remembering that they were not prepared for the evacuation. The rescue team of Peruvian firefighters knocked at the door and took them out of their home at once. It was very difficult especially for my aunt to leave their only home, and a lifetime of possessions and memories that she was so attached to. Although a hard choice, it was the best, because the Piura River indeed flooded that area in the wee hours of March 27th. My uncle and aunt and my many cousins that live in the area lost everything they owned. They spent the first night outside and then in tents in a nearby field along with other evacuees. Since then, they have tried to return to their homes, but the water has not receded. The heat is unbearable, there are tons of mosquitos and it is not safe. There is no electricity, and no potable water. It is raining almost every day, and the rain makes them very anxious. Meteorologist believe the rains will stop at the end of April. The future is very uncertain, people do not know if they will ever return home. My uncle and aunt are in their seventies and they are apprehensive about moving and restarting their lives somewhere else. There is the possibility that the government may relocate the entire city of Piura and nearby villages. Some people think the government will rebuild the damaged infrastructure and build a levy or river embankment. It is the first time a disaster of this magnitude has hit the area, since it is usually dry and rains are scarce. In any case, the rebuilding will be slow, painful and people will be given little or no compensation. Everybody hopes that business will be able to collect insurance compensation so that people can go back to work. At this moment, no businesses, schools or government institutions can be opened.
There are thousands of displaced people. My heart just breaks every time I look at the pictures of the devastated areas I once visited. Food and water were hard to find until last Thursday. Today, some food supplies were actually delivered but they still did not have electricity, so it is hard to keep the food for any length of time. I could not sleep well several nights after the events, I think about how so many people I know and appreciate deeply may be hungry, sleepless or stressed at this very moment. I know that with time, they will rebuild their lives. People in Peru are resourceful, hard working and tenacious. I recognise these qualities in myself and I have hope for them. But I know it is very hard for them now. They have never asked me for anything, not even now, in these circumstances. But I want to help as much as I can. For this reason, I am reaching out to you. If you could help me with small monetary donation, we will together bring some comfort and hope to their hearts.
I believe heartily that when we gather together in a common cause, in single thought or wish, we have the power to change our world. Please join me today in sending warm wishes of healing and strength to all those that are suffering in Peru.
Bonjour,
Je m’appelle Liliana Chiroque. Péruvienne d’origine, je vis au Canada depuis bientôt 14 ans. J’ai une belle petite famille, un mari aimant et une petite fille de huit ans, en santé, intelligente et débordante d’énergie. Je me sens choyée et tous les jours je remercie ma bonne étoile de toutes les opportunités qui se sont présentées à moi depuis mon arrivée au Canada.
Le Pérou, bien qu’étant un petit pays, est dynamique et offre de la diversité à bien des égards. Les gens sont chaleureux, gentils et amicaux. Ils sont très attentifs aux besoins des enfants. L’an passé, nous avons eu l’occasion de visiter toute la famille la forêt tropicale amazonienne et la ville andine de Cusco où ma mère est née. Ma fille Isabelle a adoré ! Mes parents se sont rencontrés à Lima, la capitale, où je suis née. Mon père, natif de Piura, est décédé en 2008. Piura est une petite ville au nord du Pérou où les gens vivent paisiblement en été comme hiver sous la chaleur qui varie de 19o à 30o C. On y fait encore la sieste sur le porche l’après-midi pendant que les enfants s’amusent à rentrer et sortir des maisons en courant. Les jours sont longs à Piura et les plages de Mancora plaisent beaucoup aux surfers.
Cette année, pas de chance, « El Nino » est passé faire une tournée! La pluie déversée dans le nord du Pérou est sans précédent. Plusieurs rivières sont sorties de leur nid, causant ainsi des glissements de terrain et dévastation sur la région, endommageant ainsi toutes les structures de communications. Le seul oncle qui me reste du côté de mon père et son épouse ont été évacués le soir du 26 mars.
Éventuellement, ils ont réussi à rejoindre par téléphone ma sœur à Lima. Celle-ci me rapporte que mon oncle était vraiment ébranlé par la situation et qu’une fois les secours arrivés, l’évacuation s’est faite sans attendre. Heureusement, car aux petites heures du 27 mars, la rivière Piura inondait toute la région. Heureux d’être saine et sauve, ma tante est tout de même triste de perdre sa maison et tous les souvenirs qu’elle a accumulés au fil des ans.
Mon oncle et ma tante et mes nombreux cousins-cousines ont tout perdu. Leur première nuit s’est déroulée à la belle étoile. Ils vivent présentement dans une tente de campement dans un champ avec d’autres évacués. Ils ont essayé tant bien que mal de retourner Piura mais sans succès, le niveau d’eau est trop haut. La chaleur est suffocante et les moustiques les dévorent – tout ça n’est pas très sécuritaire. Il n’y a pas d’eau potable, pas d’électricité et il pleut presque tous les jours. Ils sont très inquiets.
Les météorologues croient que la pluie n’arrêtera pas avant la fin avril. Difficile de dire ce qui arrivera et les gens ne savent pas s’ils pourront même retourner chez eux. Mon oncle et ma tante ont plus de soixante-dix ans et ils s’inquiètent d’avoir à déménager et recommencer leur vie ailleurs. Il est possible que le gouvernement relocalise toute la ville de Piura et des villages avoisinants. Certains croient que le gouvernement rebâtira les infrastructures endommagées et un remblai de protection ou une digue pour contrôler la rivière. Aucun désastre d’une ampleur semblable n’est arrivé. Il ne pleut presque jamais dans la région.
Tout rebâtir sera long et pénible et les gens n’obtiendront que peu ou pas de compensation. Tous espèrent que les propriétaires d’entreprises toucheront une assurance et que les employés retourneront au travail. Pour l’instant, tout est fermé, écoles, commerces, ou bureaux du gouvernement.
Des milliers de gens ont été déplacés. Ça me fend le cœur toutes ces images de dévastation. La nourriture et l’eau étaient difficiles à trouver jeudi dernier. Aujourd’hui, les évacués ont eu droit à un peu de nourriture, mais il n’y a toujours pas d’électricité, donc la nourriture se perd vite.
J’ai du mal à dormir depuis la catastrophe. Je pense à ma famille et tous ceux que j’aime et je suis inquiète pour leur bien-être, de tout le stress qu’ils peuvent vivre. Je sais dans mon fort intérieur qu’ils s’en sortiront et qu’ils rebâtiront leur vie. Les péruviens sont débrouillards, de bons travaillants et persévérants. J’en suis la preuve ! Mais, je m’imagine tout leur désarroi.
Ils ne m’ont rien demandé même dans ces circonstances, mais je veux les aider autant que possible. C’est pourquoi, je vous demande votre aide. Un don, aussi petit soit-il, pourrait leur apporter un peu de réconfort et d’espoir.
Je crois sincèrement qu’ensemble on peut faire une différence. En pensée ou en souhait, on a le pouvoir de changer notre monde. Je vous invite à vous joindre à moi pour souhaiter la santé et la force à tous les évacués péruviens.
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