The scope of a humanitarian crisis is still being revealed as the Anglican Diocese of Peru struggles to provide assistance in the aftermath of an 8.0-magnitude earthquake that struck a remote region of the South American country early in the evening on Aug. 15.

“Every day since they began last week, the diocesan earthquake response team has been feeding an average of almost 5,000 people a day,” the Rt. Rev. Harold William Godfrey, Bishop of Peru, wrote on an internet blog he maintains. “In every place the team has worked, it’s been the first help to arrive.”

Episcopal Relief and Development is working with the Diocese of Peru to provide food, blankets, shelter and medicine for people left homeless by the earthquake. Eighty percent of housing was destroyed in Pisco, near the epicenter. Anglican Relief and Development also is raising much-needed cash for the Diocese of Peru.

The Rev. Rachel Hill, a deacon on assignment at the Cathedral of the Good Shepherd, Lima, reported on Bishop Godfrey’s blog there was no serious damage or injury to any diocesan-affiliated missions or projects.

“Tomorrow [Aug. 20] all our buildings will be checked by an architect,” she wrote. “We are planning to provide emergency relief to meet the needs of those in our communities who did suffer. Miraculously little damage was sustained in the shanty towns, by the grace of God. Sadly, there has been tremendous loss of life and homes further south and we will also be seeking to respond there in collaboration with some major relief agencies.”

The diocese was one of the first relief agencies to reach Pisco. Bishop Godfrey reported that the diocesan relief team journey from Lima, the capital was “very difficult… because of poor roads and civil disorder, but so far they have had the help of army convoys to reach the stricken areas.”

The most recent official statistics from the National Civil Defense Institute put the number of dead at 503, with 1,042 people injured. The earthquake destroyed 34,410 homes, leaving more than 100,000 homeless. The institute announced Aug. 26 that it no longer expected to find any more survivors, according to Time magazine.

“Emergency relief work continues to be our priority in areas close to the epicenter of the earthquake,” Bishop Godfrey wrote. “Our objective is to identify and reach areas were help has not yet come. Time is of the essence for people who have no water and food.”

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