Flooding in Manilla

 

JIGSAW FLOODING AND EVACUATION CRISIS.

 

Written by Lendehl, Vice President of JIGSAW Philippines. 9th Aug 2012

Call for Prayer for those who continue to be devastatingly affected by the flooding in Metro Manila.
 

ONCE AGAIN MANILA IS IN CRISIS AND THE MOST VUNERABLE ARE THE CHILDREN AND THE POOREST OF THE POOR, THE CHILDREN AND FAMILIES OF JIGSAW, INCLUDING JIGSAW WORKERS THEMSELVES.

We bid your prayers for the children, their families and Jigsaw staff in Metro Manila suffering from intensive flooding. The continued typhoons and downpours of rains beginning Monday has caused the overflowing of major dams and rivers in Metro Manila and nine surrounding provinces causing heavy flooding. The La Mesa dam, which supplies water to the National Capital Region of 12 million people, spilled excess water for a second time early Tuesday into the rivers flowing into Quezon City, Malabon, Valenzuela and Caloocan, where several villages were submerged, creating full emergency alert from the government.
We pray for Jigsaw workers specially those living in Area4 where one of the Jigsaw center is located.   
The community has been 60% submerged in water where the Jigsaw staff worked tirelessly in bringing the children and their families to a safer ground. Jigsaw staff and families stayed overnight of Tuesday in the Jigsaw main office. Alert level has gone down to Green/extreme signal on Wednesday morning which meant that the water is catastrophic but has slightly subsided and safer to go back home. All of them went back and started cleaning their houses and try to put the broken pieces of their lives back together where they could only to be frustrated when torrential rains started pouring again in the afternoon. At 3 PM today, water level at the Marikina River raised to the 20-meter mark, way above the critical level of 18 meters. This prompted local authorities to raise Alert Level 4/extreme emergency again. The staffs have to go back at the office as this is on higher ground and is concrete while the children and families went back to government evacuation sites.
 

PLEASE PRAY
1.     Please pray for the rain to stop
2.     Pray for those who lost their family members in the floods.
3.     Pray for Jigsaw children and staff who have to be back in the evacuation sites.
4.     Pray for the traumatised communities Jigsaw works in and especially for the children.
5.     Pray for Strength and comfort for the people.
6.     Pray for Jigsaw staff as they seek to be a strength even as they are too driven from their homes and communities.
 

Cagayan de Oro floods

A further update today from Eric and Sandra in Mindenao. Water supply is a critical need as the main water supply pipe for Cagayan De Oro was destroyed in the flood and the authorities are trying to get water in by tanker lorries.  But there is intermittent supply in some parts of the city.   Eric is involved with his local church in receiving and setting up at least one water filtration unit as part of addressing this need. For this he is coordinating with Marlon  (who is based in Manila ) who is arranging for the supply of this unit in the next 1-2 days.

 It is now known that over a 1000 lost their lives in the flooding.  There are so many urgent practical relief needs and Eric and Sandra are hoping that some of their friends and supporters can send in some support through CMS to help in the local response. Please continue to pray 

In maybe 90% of the city, everything is normal and normal life goes on.  

In the remaining 10%, people are crowded into schools and sports centres 

for shelter, they spend their days recovering whatever they can from 

what used to be their homes, queuing for water or food or other relief 

goods as they come, bathing at the side of the road and presumably 

trying to think about what they will do now.  Many will also be mourning 

for loved ones.

Yet through all of this I (Eric) am amazed and humbled at how calm and 

how cheerful people are.  People are chatting and laughing as though 

everything is normal.  They form orderly queues and wait patiently their 

turn.  If they miss out this time they just say, OK we;ll wait for the 

next lot.  I have yet to hear a word of anger or even irritation. Yet 

these are people many of whom have lost everything, including members of 

their families and who are unlikely to have a house of their own for 

months or even years.

Water is a major problem now in much of the city, they are using fire 

engines to deliver it.  One of the major supplies used to cross the 

river on a mini version of the Tyne bridge.  It is now a twisted heap of 

steel.  It must have been a massive rush of water to do all the damage 

it has done and so dramatically change the shape of the river.  

Everything is covered in a thick layer of mud, we helped some friends 

recover what they could from their house, absolutely everything

Eric has been asked to help one church assemble and set up a water 

filtration unit which is being lent by a church in Manila.  We visted 

one of the possible sites for it today and met one of Peter's school 

friends.  His mother told us he doesn't want to go outside wandering 

around any more now.  He did go down near the river with Peter though, 

so hopefully is fear will subside.  The filter is due to arrive tomorrow 

or Friday.

There are many needs, both short and longer term.  Different churches 

and organisations are helping however they can.  Pastor Lapiz (who leads 

the bible study in our house) church is feeding about 500 people a day 

in the nearest relief centre (a covered basketball court) and they plan 

to continue as long as they have funds.  We have given them a box of 

clothes and a sack of rice.  They are cooking 150kg rice a day costing 

about £70 plus some meat (in total about 30 - 35p per person per day). 

People also have needs for basics like saucepans, water containers, 

basins etc.  Sandra's sister is sending some money for us to put 

together bags sweets and fruit for the children for Christmas.

If you would like to make a donation to help people please send it to 

CMS, marking clearly it is for the Cagayan de Oro floods.

Floods in Mindanao

Following floods in Mindanao on the weekend including Cagayan De Oro, we have received this news from Eric and Sandra Read, our mission partners there:

Dear all

You may have heard on the news about the floods here last night. We are safe and being 2 or 300 ft above the river are well awaya form the flood zone. The first house we were living in has probably been affected.

We woke up and looked out this morning to find the river very visible (normally we can only see a short stretch), the remains of houses, trees flattened and people sitting on roofs and stuck on small islands. The wind was strong and the rain heavy last night, certainly the worst we've experienced here, but not as bad as they get in Luzon every year. However, a dam burst further inland and sent a wall of water down the river, which reached Cagayan about 1.30 am. The electricity had already gone off earlier in the evening and there was virtually no warning, people were suddenely inundated and in darkness.

We went down with a few clothes and some food for people and to see if we could help. We picked up a family at the side of the road and took them to some relatives. They had to go on to the roof of their 2 storey house. All they had were the clothes they were standing in. The husband had just come out of hospital after pneumonia, so his wife was worried it would make him sick again. Some people were standing around looking dazed, others were walking, yet many were still able to laugh and smile, despite what had just happened to them.

Please do pray for those affected, many have lost everything, over 100 people were killed here and nearly as many in Iligan, 50 miles west of here. Temporarily people are staying in schools and sports centres or with relatives. We are helping some friends rescue what they can from their house and move it tomorrow.

Thank you for your prayers and love


Eric & Sandra

Message from Archbishop Nathaniel of Japan

Statement from the Archbishop of the Nippon Sei Ko Kai (The Anglican Communion in Japan)"> The Most Revd Nathaniel Makoto Uematsu

14 March, 2011

On the 11th of March at 2:46pm, the biggest earthquake ever to hit Japan struck just off the coast of the Tohoku region. This caused a tsunami and fires that brought massive devastation to a very wide area. This unimaginably strong earthquake triggered an explosion at the Fukushima No.1 nuclear reactor. The people living in the area around that and the No. 2 reactor have been evacuated. The stories and images constantly broadcast by the media have left people lost for words, unable to describe the sheer scale of the unbelievable devastation caused by the earthquake, tsunami and fires.

We see homes devastated, whole towns that were swallowed by the tsunami, and houses that continue to burn because fire fighters are unable to reach both the properties and the people who were the victims of this catastrophe. With hearts filled with grief and helplessness we see people who are mourning their lost loved ones and others who search tirelessly for missing family members. There are so many who have lost their homes and possessions. Towns and villages were obliterated by the tsunami, everything was gone in a second.

Since the earthquake the Provincial office has worked very hard to find out about the people and the churches in Tohoku diocese. However, we could neither contact them by phone nor email. Only yesterday were we able to start to see a picture of the devastation in the affected areas. I had been most concerned that I could not contact the Bishop of Tohoku diocese [The Rt Revd John Hiromichi Kato], but on Saturday he rang me and I was able to find out more about what had happened to the churches in Sendai City.

Bp Kato explained that he himself had not been able to find out much about the other churches in the diocese of Tohoku. This was largely due to the fact that neither power supplies nor telephone lines had been restored in areas most badly hit by the tsunami. There is particular concern for two churches: Isoyama St Peter’s Church in Fukushima Prefecture and Kamaishi Shinai Church and the kindergarten in Iwate that were close to the sea. Priests have been frantically trying to confirm that their parishioners are safe. We also know that it is not only Tohoku diocese that has been affected, some churches in Kita Kanto diocese have been reported to have been damaged also.

Sendai Christchurch (the Cathedral church) is badly damaged and yesterday, while there were still so many aftershocks, the church carried out their first Sunday after Lent service in the diocesan office.
In many affected areas there are roadblocks but as for Tohoku diocese the church is planning to establish an emergency relief centre within the diocesan building. Bishop Kato will lead the efforts to respond to the crisis.

At a Provincial level I am working to establish a structure for responding to this unprecedented natural disaster as soon as possible. This will include providing relief and sourcing volunteers and funding to help with the restoration of the affected areas. I am also trying to find more accurate information about our church family and the relief efforts, and to communicate that information as quickly as possible.
What we can do right now, however, is pray. Prayer has power. I hope and request that you pray for the people who are affected, for those who have died and for their families. Pray for the people involved with the rescue efforts, and in particular pray for Tohoku and Kita Kanto dioceses and their priests and parishioners during this time of Lent.

I am grateful for all the many prayers and messages of support from throughout the world; from the Archbishop of Canterbury and other Churches.

Pray for Japan

CMS Trustee Canon Dr Phil Groves writes from the Anglican Communion Office

The Primate of Japan, Bishop Nathaniel Uematsu, has spoken to Bishop of Tohoku, the Rt Revd John Hiromichi Kato last night. The people in Sendai City and beyond spent the evening in pitch darkness without any heating. The diocese of Tohoku is at the centre of the earthquake area: some churches are

* Konahama St Thomas Church have seen tsunami wave came 50 metres to the entrance of the church, and the front wall at the entrance to the church fell and much damage inside.
* Isoyama St Peter's Church is located 50 meters from the sea, and it is a great concern of their safety. Various damages are reported in other churches, and there is no news from a number of churches in Iwate Prefecture as it has not been possible to contact them.

Bishop Nathaniel envisages to set up an appeal (he has already taken an action within Japan) to help & support those churches in Tohoku Diocese to start rebuilding their lives.

Tohoku Diocese, which is directly hit by the earthquake, is located in north east of Japan (as you all saw on TV). Bishop Kato is a well known theologian and liturgist.

The Primate of Japan requests prayers from all of us, and he is overwhelmed with gratitude that so many Provinces in the Anglican Communion has sent him and the Province messages of support and prayers.

AND A PRAYER BY A CMS MEMBERS

Father in heaven, you are the absolute Sovereign over the shaking of the earth, the rising of the sea, and the raging of the waves. We tremble at your power and bow before your unsearchable judgments and inscrutable ways. We cover our faces and kiss your omnipotent hand. We fall helpless to the floor in prayer and feel how fragile the very ground is beneath our knees.

O God, we humble ourselves under your holy majesty and repent. In a moment—in the twinkling of an eye—we too could be swept away. We are not more deserving of firm ground than our fellowmen in Japan. We too are flesh. We have bodies and homes and cars and family and precious places. We know that if we were treated according to our sins, who could stand? All of it would be gone in a moment. So in this dark hour we turn against our sins, not against you.

And we cry for mercy for Japan. Mercy, Father. Not for what they or we deserve. But mercy.

Have you not encouraged us in this? Have we not heard a hundred times in your Word the riches of your kindness, forbearance, and patience? Do you not a thousand times withhold your judgments, leading your rebellious world toward repentance? Yes, Lord. For your ways are not our ways, and your thoughts are not our thoughts.

Grant, O God, that the wicked will forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts. Grant us, your sinful creatures, to return to you, that you may have compassion. For surely you will abundantly pardon. Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord Jesus, your beloved Son, will be saved.

May every heart-breaking loss—millions upon millions of losses—be healed by the wounded hands of the risen Christ. You are not unacquainted with your creatures' pain. You did not spare your own Son, but gave him up for us all.

In Jesus you tasted loss. In Jesus you shared the overwhelming flood of our sorrows and suffering. In Jesus you are a sympathetic Priest in the midst of our pain.

Deal tenderly now, Father, with this fragile people. Woo them. Win them. Save them.

And may the floods they so much dread make blessings break upon their head.

O let them not judge you with feeble sense, but trust you for your grace. And so behind this providence, soon find a smiling face.

In Jesus’ merciful name, Amen.

Sendai Earthquake, Japan

The drawing of the Sendai Earthquake is by a Japanese girl in Osaka

Pamela Cooper who worked in Japan for 41 years as a CMS MP, was back visiting a freind in Osaka when the earthquake struck. She writes:

I am in Osaka with friends so I am far from the north-east part of Japan where the centre of the earthquake and the tsunami hit so i am reliant on what I am seeing on TV as you are.
This northern part of Japan is a rural area with not so many large towns, but villages. The largest is Sendai near where the centre was. It is mainly farming land - rice and apples and fishing. There are small industrial centres. The district is more tradition than most of Japan with Buddhism and Shinto being important to community life. The Anglican Church and other denominations on the whole are small with ageing church members.
The area that is affected is vast and we have three disasters - the earthquake, the tsunami and now the problems of the nuclear plants.
Most of the houses would be Japanese style wooden frame houses built to move in an earthquake, but it was impossible for such houses to stand in the force of the tsunami, which as you will have seen was often as hugh as a 3 or 4 storey building. Tsunami warnings have been lifted but there are still many after shocks. Japan is well equipped to give people warnings of tsunami but this one came so fast with such force that in some case the warning and the tsunami came at the same time.
Watching the news tonight 15,000 people are still missing. Bodies are being swept up onto beaches and are slowly being found in the debris. cars, boats etc. Over 1000 have now been declared dead.
The failure of the nuclear plants and other plants means that many people have no electricity, gas, water and are short of food and water Many thousand are in evacuation centres, in schools etc. Now temperatures are dropping and snow is expected again from Wednesday. In many other areas north of Tokyo power is being restricted on a 3 hour rotation. Train services in Tokyo an other places are being restricted or stopped to save power. Shops are shutting early. Disney Land has shut for 2 weeks etc, etc all these things to save power.
Today I have been visiting friend in the area of the Hanshin earthquake area 17 years ago. A new modern city is there now. Japan will rebuild and they will learn from this unbelievable disaster but it will take years.
There is so much to pray for at this moment and I know you all have been praying and will continue. Please pray also that through this the Grace of God will be seen and people, and the nation, will be helped by Christians to see the love of God for each one of them. and that His presence is there in the deepest despair bringing hope.

Greetings in Christ, Pam

Facebook prayer requests

Some Facebook prayer requests and messages

Cyril Kamran in Pakistan asks for prayer for his diagnosed cancer and the chemotherapy treatment. Please pray that he will be restored to health . He is particularly worried about the cost of treatment. Pray that he will get the help he needs particularly for the cost of treatment

'Apne sare fikr, us hi per dal do jo tumara fikr kerta hai' (1 Peter 5:7) Cast your burdens on him 'cos he cares for you

Imran Salim Shahid Support Relief Network (IHMWA, ALICE Society,SPNF) Pakistan Flood Relief Operations to providing emergency food, shelter & healthcare to 5000 vulnerable families in 5 badly affected districts of South Punjab:

A/C # " 01-1750688-01 " Swift Code: " scblpkkx "

A/c Title: " Islamabad Hzekiel Munawar Welfare Association"

18.8 millions people are affected in Pakistan due to recent flooding & need support form all national and international corners for food, shelter & medical care. IHMWA (Islamabad Hzekiel Munawar Welfare Association) is a registered Christian Relief & developemnt organization focuing on 5 badly affected districts of South Punjab for its releif operations. Plz support IHMWA. Imran Salim Shahid, Executive Director

11 August at 23:46
Biaki Siami Beside teaching at Meanchey University, Cambodia, I volunteered to teach the village children four times a week. These children are receptice to hear the words of God, please remember these children, who are from a Buddhist family, in your prayer...