Seventh-day Adventists are struggling with recovery and grief while assisting survivors after a magnitude-8 earthquake struck off the coast of Peru 90 miles southeast of the capital, Lima, on August 15.

The earthquake has killed at least 500 people and left more than 1,600 injured throughout the coastal region, according to reports issued by Peruvian Civil Defense authorities.

Church officials in the region said three church members are among the dead and that the earthquake destroyed some 400 church members’ homes. Many Adventist schools and churches are also reported damaged.

The Peruvian government has declared a state of emergency in Ica, a coastal province located 165 miles south of Lima, and the most heavily affected region with many homes and buildings demolished.

Maranatha Volunteers International, an Adventist Christian organization that constructs urgently-needed buildings around the world, said construction materials commonly used in Peru—including plywood, plastic and mud bricks—seldom withstand natural disasters such as earthquakes. Five Maranatha-constructed church structures in the affected region are lending shelter to families who lost their homes during the earthquake.

The Adventist Development and Relief Agency (ADRA) in Peru has initiated a response to meet the most urgent needs of survivors in the earthquake-hit Ica province, including emergency medical care, water, food, tents and blankets. Adventist churches in the region are serving as supply collection and distribution centers.

ADRA, in cooperation with other relief agencies in Peru, will continue to assess the situation and meet the changing needs of survivors in the aftermath of the earthquake. Updates will be released as response efforts expand.