UPDATE ON THE IMPACT OF THE STORM: NARGIS - MYANMAR 12-5-08
Monday after Pentecost
Dear Brothers, Family and Friends,
A blessed and hope-filled Pentecost to all of you. Apologies that it has taken me some time to get word direct to you but I hope many of you did receive messages from Brothers David Hawke, Edmundo Fernandez and Stephen Touhy as well as other sources. On the third day after the storm I was able to make a phone call to Singapore and they relayed the news to others. On that same day, I had to leave Yangon to accompany a Filipino Brother to one of our mountain communities, Kalaw, since he is here to assist us for a month. Since there are no e-mail facilities there, I have not been in contact till coming back here to Yangon on Saturday.
The death tolls are not yet official nor completely accurate, but seem to be around 100,000 with several thousands still missing. The area south of us, known as the Delta, was the hardest hit and has had the most difficulty with the disease and pollution that has resulted from not being able to dispose of the decomposing bodies. Here in Yangon, the damage has been wide-spread and knocked out electricity and water supplies. We only yesterday got back limited water but still do not have electricity.
Fortunately, no Brothers or their families have been lost but again property damage has been extensive and operating with any sense of normalcy is still coming slowly. We are most fortunate in that the Brothers in Rome are coordinating relief funds for us and we will have sufficient to cover our repairs. It will be some time before we can actually get the workman and materials to complete everything, but we are trying to get the roof work done before the monsoon rains get any worse. Getting the funds to us will be a challenge – as it is to the whole country – but we will be fine. We are looking for ways to share with others wherever we see desperate needs.
The clearing of debris – on our property and around the city – will take about another week at least to get the roads completely clear and services restored, especially telephone and electricity. The government is using the army (including the soldiers who have been living on our compound for several months due to security reasons surrounding the vote on the referendum) to help clear the fallen trees, telephone poles, billboards, sections of roofing and other debris that is everywhere. The soldiers have been friendly and helpful. But the official reactions to offers of help from outside agencies and other governments has slowed the assistance needed by those hardest hit. We hope they will take a different approach soon. This is the monsoon season and we are anticipating heavy rains for May 15-16th. People need to have repairs in place prior to that time or it will simply increase the damage and disaster.
As is often the case, the response of the local people has been a source of great encouragement and admiration. Close to home, our 15 boarders have been terrific in their work since the time of the storm, cleaning up the mess within the houses on the compound and the debris on the grounds. They kept up a sense of humor and great energy, despite no clean water, no electricity and limited food supplies.
Some of these boarders are brand new to the city and had only been here 2-3 days before Nargis hit. So you can imagine their own added anxiety about being in a strange place -all come from far away villages and this is the first time for them to live in a city. The separation from family and the terror of the cyclone itself with the impact of all the resulting consequences could have been quite devastating. But the original 7 boarders joined us in creating a great spirit of getting to work immediately and made all the others feel quite safe and secure. And going to bed by 8:30pm, exhausted and with only candles and flashlights to get you there, does have some advantages!!
God’s Providence was much in evidence in the reactions of caring for one another and the neighbors, and in the prayers we offered for a faith-filled response to the disaster. For myself, this has been one of the few tragedies I have been involved in directly. My experience in India of the tsunami was from a distance as it did not hit our area. But I surely now understand the impact of something like Katrina in a whole new way. Watching and reacting to news reports on TV of similar natural catastrophes will have a whole new depth of understanding as to what people suffer. But the considerateness and concern and generous spirit of helping is a great source of encouragement as to what we are capable of doing during times of real need.
Much appreciation again to those of you who sent notes and expressions of concern. We are OK and hope to be in much better condition by next week. If you can find ways to assist those most strongly affected, I encourage you but it will be difficult. As I indicated earlier, we are unable to assist in this way from within but hope that avenues will open. Do keep us in your prayers – as we do all of you.
Fondly,
Bro Mark - for all the Brothers of Myanmar
