Report on the Flooding in Peru by Apumayo
As all of you must already know, the southern Andean region of Peru has been affected by unusual heavy rains which started on January the 23rd and ended on January the 28th, returning to its normal amounts. These rains caused an extraordinary increment of water carried by the Vilcanota River, almost 1,100 m3/second, when maximum registered was 850 m3/second, an unlikely record.
The cities affected where Andahuaylas, Ayacucho, Puno and overall Cusco, where most of the tourist areas, where closed for a few days.
At this time, weather has return to its normal, all areas including all attractions in Cusco and the Sacred Valley have normal access, but access to Machu Picchu is limited only by helicopter (Note: Commercial helicopter flights to Machu Picchu will not be allowed until noticed by the government), as huge landslides have damaged 6.15km of the railroad to Machu Picchu. In order to re-establish communication with Machu Picchu town by using the railroad, Ferrocarril Transandino S.A. FTSA has determined to restore the tracks in three stages:
- Hydroelectric – Machu Picchu town: The work will take about 2 weeks to allow visitors and residents to use bimodal transportation to get back to Cusco, that means, train ride from Machu Picchu town to The Hydroelectric station in Santa Teresa (45 minutes) and from there by car back to Cusco (6 to 7). In order to achieve this, it will be necessary to restore the road between Santa Teresa and the Hydroelectric.
- Piscaycucho (km82) – Machu Picchu town: The work will take about six weeks. These restorations will allow visitors to get to Machu Picchu using a bimodal transportation too. This means Train from Machu Picchu town to Piscaycucho (1:30 hrs) and from there, car ride back to Cusco (1:30 hrs). This is the main portion of the railroad to Machu Picchu, which we commonly use for our clients. This also means that for all the programs that were planned to start by train in Cusco and returning back to Cusco by train we will have to add the extra car portion to and from Piscaycucho (km 82).
- Ollantaytambo – Piscaycucho: They expect to finish this work in about 7 weeks in order to res-establish the regular train services. This portion is commonly replaced by the one explained in the second stage.
FTSA guaranties Peruvian authorities, Machu Picchu residents, tour operators, visitors and the community, that professionals are performing their best efforts to achieve the main objectives of the above working plan in order to restore the transportation facilities on the south east railway system.
We recommend you that programs that offer Machu Picchu before March the 20th, have to be modified and offer the above mentioned alternatives or re-direct your clients to other attractions.
Fortunately, the Inca trail to Machu Picchu was not affected and it will be re-opened in March as happens every year; there are just inconveniences to return from Machu Picchu Town back to Cusco as mentioned lines above. Though if your clients prefer not to take the Inca trail we can offer them the following alternative treks:
Cultural & Panoramic Inca Trail to Ollantaytambo. 4D/3N
Trek to Choquekiraw. Canyonland & Incas. 5D/4N
At Apumayo we have designed several alternative tourist routes that can supplement a visit to Machu Picchu or the experience of the Inca Trail, as all tourist attractions in Cusco and the Sacred Valley are accessible except for Machu Picchu. If you have clients coming to Peru in the following 2 months please ask your contact at Apumayo for these alternative routes.
Volunteering and Donating Opportunities:
Our eyes must not only face the damage caused to the tourist industry which will get back to normal at the end of March, as thousands farming land hectares have been flooded and thousands rural houses have been affected and families have lost everything, help is welcome. As we have your customers coming to our country, we would like you to encourage them to provide donations or participate in volunteer initiatives, such as the ones we have been promoting in Cachiccata since some time ago. These initiatives can be:
- Houses and Schools restorations
- Healthy Meals for kids
- Community Cleaning
- Irrigation channels restoration and water filters
If you are interested in promoting these initiatives, please contact us in order to add these into your current programs or customize the program and start with arrangements.
This message is not to alarm you, it is only to inform you on what has happened and how we are dealing with this matter, as this has not been a mega disaster, it is something that happens about every 10 years as of the Global Weather Change and usually it is prevented, but this time it took authorities by surprise. Things will get back to normal at the end of March. We will keep you informed on how and when will the railroad to Machu Picchu be finally restored and trips to this fantastic attraction will get back to normal.
Nonprofit Planeterra Mobilizes Community Relief Efforts in Wake of Flooding in Peru
Concerned Groups and Individuals Asked to Make Online Donations to Peru Flood Relief and If Traveling to Cusco Bring Essential Items, Clothing and Food
TORONTO – Over 12,000 people have been uprooted and/or severely impacted by the late January rains and flooding in Peru’s Sacred Valley between Cusco and Machu Picchu.
Planeterra has mobilized an onsite team to assess the situation and help with immediate needs of the local people. The nonprofit has established an online help site: Peru Flood Relief where the public can make charitable donations.
One of the communities severely impacted by the flooding is Ccaccaccollo, home to Planeterra’s women’s weaving cooperative, a community travelers visit as part of the organization’s Project Peru voluntourism adventure.
“Because indigenous communities such as Ccaccaccollo maintain a traditional way of life and are dedicated mainly to pastoral and agricultural activities, they are especially vulnerable to heavy rains and flooding,” said Richard G. Edwards, Director of Planeterra.
A company blog describes Ccaccaccollo’s main plaza, an area usually bustling with women demonstrating their craft and selling colorful textiles, as flooded out and empty. Market stalls, usually overflowing with locally produced hats, change purses, shawls and scarves, are instead filled with mud and rocks.
Planeterra has already donated the funds necessary to fuel the equipment required to fix a main road and clear landslides. In addition, the organization is looking at ways tourism dollars might help by reworking itineraries to include some of the most impacted communities in future tour itineraries.
A donation goal of $25,000 has been set of which to date nearly $9,000 has been raised. Through a partnership with Gap Adventures that covers all of Planeterra’s administration costs, 100% of all donations will go directly to those in need.
An appeal has also gone out to anyone now in or planning to visit Cuzco. Donations of blankets, sleeping bags, warm clothes for children & adults, jackets, raincoats, tents & mattresses, dried food (rice, pasta, oatmeal, cans of tuna, sugar, salt, evaporated milk etc) and matches can be dropped off at: Hotel Tupac Yupanqui (Calle 236 San Agustin) in Cusco.
“Planeterra has committed to immediately provide the funds needed to help fix the road and clear the landslide. We will continue to help the recovery effort and are relying on support from our travelers, which will not only benefit Ccaccaccollo but many of the outlying communities as well,” explains Edwards.
In the last week of January, just half way through the rainy season, a 72-hour-period of torrential rains caused entire communities to be evacuated due to massive flooding that washed out roads, collapsed houses and bridges, destroyed crops and temporarily cut off all access to Machu Picchu. The government is doing its best to send supplies to the areas that have been hit the worst; however many communities have still not received outside support, according to Edwards who immediately sent his own staff there to assess damages and determine how Planeterra might help.
Planeterra is a global non-profit dedicated to sustainable community development through travel. Founded in 2003 by Gap Adventures, Planeterra evolved out of a long history of travelers committed to finding ways to give back to the people and places they visit. Planeterra selects the projects and works with them to arrange voluntour travel programs worldwide. For information on Planeterra’s year-round voluntour programs please call 416-260-0999 or go to: http://www.planeterra.org/pages/voluntours/4.php.
