Arequipa: "Many people have been left with nothing": testimony of the inhabitants of Secocha after mudslides (RPP Noticias [Spanish] - 2/7/2023)
The intense rains have stopped for a moment, and residents are taking advantage of that period to rescue their belongings. This is life in Secocha after the torrent of mud that devastated the houses in the town.
Inhabitants of Secocha rescue their belongings after the passage of the huaico (photo Cristian Ramos)
A tragedy is what the inhabitants of the town of Secocha, located in the District of Mariano Nicolás Valcárcel, Camaná Province, Arequipa, live after the passage of the huaico (mudslide) that devastated more than two hundred homes in the area and left dozens of affected families.
Thirty-six deaths from the mudslides that affected the town of Secocha and other towns in the province of Camaná have been reported by the Technical Secretary of Civil Defense of the Municipality of Mariano Nicolás Valcárcel.
Edilberto Apaza, a resident of Secocha, said that the mudslide and rocks began on the afternoon of last Sunday, February 5, and ended at around 11:00 p.m. p.m.
Several families in the area went up to nearby hills for safety before the reactivation of mudslides in one of the ravines. With helplessness and pain, they watched as the torrent of mud and water destroyed everything in its path.
Since yesterday, the residents of Secocha have organized themselves and established two common pots to take care of feeding the victims.
Neighbors rescue their belongings
Today is a new day in the town center of Secocha, an area inhabited by 'artisanal' (informally employed) miners. The intense rains have given a truce that Doña Susana takes advantage of to search for her daughter's belongings in the middle of the mud that has buried her house, a situation that is replicated in most of the houses in the area.
With pick and shovel in hand, Susana, who had been living in Secocha for ten years, has barely been able to recover some of her daughter 's clothes that will help her spend the night.
“Two floors below my three-story house is buried. This huaico has invaded us all. We are getting our little things back; For example, I'm taking my daughter's clothes out," the woman told RPP Noticias.
Rosa Larico is another of the affected residents. Fortunately, she did not lose any relatives after the mudslide, but she did lose her home. She and her relatives had to spend the night in a hotel after losing their home.
“There are people who have stayed in hotels, but there are quite a few people who have slept on the street. The huaico has destroyed the first floor of all the houses. There are manufactured houses that have been destroyed. There are houses of noble material that have been at the beginning of the ravine that have also been destroyed,” she commented.
In unison, the residents of the Secocha town center are asking for help from the regional and central governments, as well as the sending of humanitarian aid, especially water and tents to be able to spend the night.
“Send help and tents. There have been many people affected who have been left with nothing. There are quite a few children. Send water, please," they cry.
The tragedy has not only affected the town of Secocha, but also Miski and San Martín, also located in the district of Mariano Nicolás Valcárcel . In total, 20,000 people who live in this sector of ravines on the Arequipa coast have been affected.
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