Beyond Red Alert: Super Floods in the Amazon – Help Needed!

Floods in Iquitos

Unremitting torrential rainstorms in combination with a greater than normal glacial melt in the Andes has over the past few months created widespread flooding in the city of Iquitos and the neighbouring areas located in the heart of the Amazon Rainforest in Peru. The water levels in Amazon River and its tributaries such as the Nanay and the Itaya rivers have overflowed and a huge part of the city has become inundated. Many villages and communities have been washed away or are submerged. Over 100,000 people have been displaced by the floods. A State of Emergency was belatedly declared by the Peruvian Government on March 30th.  Marco Paredes, regional head of Senamhi (National Service of Meteorology and Hydrology) expects that the water levels of the rivers will continue to grow. There are also grave concerns about sanitation, and the subsequent spread of diseases such as dengue and malaria.

Bill Grimes the proprietor of the Dawn on the Amazon River Cruises and the fabulous like named cafe (delicious food btw) located on the Malecon has been keeping people posted on the situation with narratives and photos (some of these photos are on ths post), but more than that Bill and his friends have been purchasing drinking water, food, and other emergency supplies and distributing these to isolated villages and communities in the outlying areas.

Iquitos Flood

Bill needs assistance to continue this vital work. Donations will be most welcome to continue and expand the rescue work to allow him to purchase and distribute more emergency supplies. I’ve known Bill for a few years and frequent his cafe whenever I’m in Iquitos, all I can say is that he is one of the genuine ‘good guys’.

You can help in two ways:

  •  Donate money or / and
  • Raise awareness of this appalling situation by posting this on Face book, Blogs, and other social media.

If you would like to send a donation to Bill and his friends; you can do this via Western Union , MoneyGram, or Xoom.com, The details are as follows;

Destination Iquitos Peru, South America.

Recipient; Marmelita Flores Pua De Grimes

Make sure to spell Marmelita’s (Bill’s wife) full name correctly. It must match her National ID card (DNI). The clerk will give you a multi-digit number to identify your transaction. Email the number to Bill bill@dawnontheamazon.com and Bill and Marmelita can collect from the Interbank office in town.

Thanks for making a difference.