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| This is Huarmey where our next open house is scheduled. Guess it's canceled. |
As we stepped out of the airport coming back from Cusco, it became apparent that Trujillo was in disaster mode. People slept on the floor in the waiting room. Sandbags and barriers blocked the airport entrance gate. We walked out to the street to find a taxi. He tried to take us to our hotel in Huanchaco, but the road was blocked by a raging flooding river. We asked him to take us to President Rios's house, but he already knew the roads were flooded. Finally, after charging an exorbitant fee, he dropped us off at the temple, which was closed for two weeks of maintenance. It was 1:00am. The guard made a few phone calls, woke up the senior missionary at the albergue, and they let us in. Relief at last. President Rios has forbidden us to go back to Virú for at least two weeks. We'd sneak back but the main bridge is down and the Alameda bridge is in danger.
The first morning we ventured out into the muddy streets to buy bread, but couldn't find any. Finally a lady answered our plea by sending us to her home to get bread from her daughter. And she didn't charge us. According to the news, food prices are doubled and quadrupled due to shortages. Yet we had lunch at a small cevicheria that charged a normal price of about $4.00 for us both. People are kind and generous. I frantically phoned missionaries to see how they were doing, but despite food and water shortages, they all expressed their concern for us.
It's hard to feel sorry for ourselves living in the comfort of the temple albergue. We haven't had it this good in almost two years.😂😘
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| Our corner picaroni stand in Virú, under water |
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| Bailing mud, water and who knows what else... |
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| Between one of the seven times that flood water came down our street |
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| The river keeps flooding and settling in the lowest part of town, our neighborhood. |
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| Incredible for a town that rarely sees rain |
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| This is at the Plaza de Armas. |
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| Sad scene crossing the river to the cemetery |
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| Zaraque, just upstream from Virú...the white/brown is flood water. |
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| Our main bridge where the Panamericana Hwy enters Virú |
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This cuts off traffic between Lima and Trujillo, as well as Virú and Trujillo.
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| Here comes a temporary bridge from Lima. |
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This is our secondary bridge, available only for foot traffic.
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| Neighbors going to get clean drinking water |
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| This bus accident scared the Trujillo North Mission. They sent a missionary on this bus, and then they heard everyone died in an accident. The bus stopped for a flood. A line of vehicles soon formed, and then a mudslide came down the mountain. Meanwhile the missionary got out, but couldn't contact the mission. A story on Facebook said a missionary died, so the mission president assumed the worst. Next morning the office received a message from the missionary, and soon he was back in Trujillo safe and sound. |
