A Church of God missionary reports on the recent tropical storm and volcanic eruption that, together, have caused great devastation.
It has been several days since the tropical storm passed through Guatemala leaving a trail of disaster all over the country. Although the volcano, Pacaya, is still very active spewing ash, gas, and rivers of lava, the black snow that covered the city and country has diminished. Indications are that it will take many months to clean up the millions of tons of black snow from the city streets. The area around the volcano is closed and several villages surrounding it have been evacuated.
The results of the tropical storm are cause for more concern. Two hundred people were killed, many are still unaccounted for, thousands of houses have been damaged, and thousands of people are being housed in shelters. Two hundred bridges have been destroyed, and many rivers flooded multiple communities.
Some communities have been cut off from the rest of Guatemala, such a Panajachel, where giant mudslides have closed the main road into town and both bridges collapsed. As the rains continue to fall, we are now faced with major highways collapsing to the north, south, east, and west of the city. For large transport trucks, it is very difficult to take products to the city. As the shortage of grocery products grows, because of the damage to crops and the slow moving traffic, prices at the stores have doubled.
The second sinkhole in zone 2 of Guatemala City has now brought about the evacuation of people from homes another four or five blocks around it as a precaution. We pray for a break in the rain to allow work to be done in some of these areas.
Some schools in the provinces are still closed. There is a great need for clothes, shoes, medicine, and food. Hearts for the Children Ministries located a village blown away by the storm and is supplying food and ministry.
Tom and Elisabeth Allan
Hearts for the Children Ministry
Project Number 1022014
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