Maria Nina is two weeks removed from southern Peru's massive 8.1 earthquake and still can't get a full night's rest.

AP Photo by Dolores Ochoa

Homes in the San Francisco neighborhood in Moquegua were virtually reduced to rubble when an 8.1-magnitude quake struck southern Peru on June 23. More than 100 people died in the catastrophe, including a girl who was a member of the Church.

"It's tough to sleep; I worry about aftershocks," said Sister Nina, a Church member from the Moquegua suburb of Samegua — one of many areas severely damaged by the June 23 earthquake that killed dozens of Peruvians and left thousands of others homeless.

"Some of our members' homes collapsed, while other homes are so cracked they look like jigsaw puzzles," said Sister Nina of the Samegua 2nd Ward, Moquegua Peru Stake. "The members are helping each other out, clearing debris. Many families are still sleeping at the chapel. We are still afraid."

The Church is accelerating its efforts to aid earthquake victims living in Moquegua and neighboring towns. Additional funds have been provided for local Peruvian Church leaders to buy relief supplies. Those supplies will be donated to Peru's civil defense organization for distribution among the needy.

Other provisions such as food boxes, hygiene kits and blankets were loaded onto trucks at the Church's Salt Lake City humanitarian center, transported to Miami and flown to Lima.

The June 23 quake and its numerous aftershocks have exacted a heavy cost on Church members living in Arequipa, Moquegua, Tacna and other areas. A young Latter-day Saint girl was killed when a wall collapsed on her. Four others were seriously injured. More than 130 member homes were destroyed and another 175 homes were seriously damaged. A few Tacna congregations have had to find new spots to worship because their shaken chapel could not be used.

"Our members are afraid and desperate," said Alberto Enrique Mansilla, an Institute director in Arequipa.

Brother Mansilla said folks living in southern Peru are a quake-savvy lot. Seismic activity is synonymous with the area.

"We joke here that doctors prescribe medicine to their patients with instructions to take one pill after every three temblors."

Still, they cannot forget the magnitude of the recent earthquake. Brother Mansilla was having lunch with his family at home when the earth began shaking. The Mansillas thought the quake would soon pass. When it didn't they rushed outside. Some of their neighbors were screaming. Others knelt in prayer.

"It felt like we were in a boat on the ocean," Brother Mansilla recalled. "For a moment, we thought the end of the world had come."

When the rumbling finally eased, a pall of dust blanketed the area, leaving the Mansillas and their neighbors in mid-day darkness.

Uneasiness among the Church members and their fellow Peruvians continues. Many worry their homes will collapse during an aftershock, prompting them to sleep outside or at the chapel. One Arequipa ward met only for sacrament meeting on July 1 because members wanted to be with their families at home.

"Many in our testimony meeting gave thanks for life," Sister Nina said.

Now the Peruvian members look for hope amid the desperation, Brother Mansilla said. They are caring for one another. Leaders have asked those with carpentry and vocational skills to help where they can. Others are sharing food and other staples.

"We remind the people that material things can be replaced," said Bishop Ricardo Jimenez of the Belen Ward, Moquegua Peru Stake. "We are simply grateful that no lives, at least from our ward, were lost."

E-mail: jswenson@desnews.com