An example of the damage in Dichato
THE Salvation Army in Chile is providing vital assistance to coastal communites damaged by a tsunami. Waves up to five metres high destroyed everything in their path after being set off by an earthquake measuring 8.8 on the Richter scale.
The response is focused mainly on the communities of Dichato and Caleta Tumbes, where many local people fled to high ground and watched as the tsunami destroyed their homes, possessions and livelihoods, and in some instances took the lives of their loved ones.
One woman described how she had lost her 92-year-old father. He had decided to stay in their house because his son, a local fisherman, had said that he knew the sea well and it would not reach the house. On any other night that would have been true – but not on this occasion.
Salvation Army officers and volunteers have been working selflessly in these coastal communities to provide food, water and clothes, helping to clear and clean properties that are still standing, and offering spiritual support. In one camp volunteers are running a children's club to try and assist in their recovery.
Among the many things destroyed by the tsunami were the communities' fishing fleets. This time of year is the most important for sardine fishermen, the season lasting only three months, and many earn almost their entire annual income in this short period.
The fishermen now just stand by the coast, looking out to sea, not knowing when they will be able to fish again or how they will provide for their families. The secretary of the fishermen’s cooperative in Dichato said: 'The young men may be able to retrain to do something else but many of us are too old. All we know is fishing – it is our livelihood, it is our life.'
One option being considered by The Salvation Army is to replace the boats that were swept away. How well they can do this will depend on finding donors who can support the scheme.
Another fisherman described how he and his family fled for their lives to the hills and did not think about their boats. He said he had just paid for a new boat and did not know how he was going to find the money for another. His family is currently living with many others in tents and makeshift shelters in woods on high ground inland from their homes. Others are in a camp nearer the sea in tents supplied by the military.
The secretary of the fishermen's cooperative in Caleta Tumbes thanked The Salvation Army for all it was doing in the community and appealed for it to continue to give assistance.
The Salvation Army continues to explore further avenues of providing assistance and plans to provide support well into the future.
International Emergency Services
