(500 dead in Gonaives flood, September 5, 2008)
School campus under water
(Update below on flood, received from Salonique September 3, 2008)
Dear brothers and sisters,
We praise God because that we are alive. On this note, I greet you in the name of Our Great God and Savior, Jesus Christ.
Where should I begin? I really do not know. There are so many things to report, the devastation is so much that we do not have enough words to describe it.
Church sanctuary under water
This time we have way more houses destroyed. During Hurricane Jean water raised to 7/8 foot, in Hannah we are talking 10 feet and higher.
Flood refugees at Living Water school
The generator was under water for about 15 hours.
The wall of the school campus is gone, the whole thing.
The wall of the Church property, wall that we have just built less than three months ago is completely gone.
Salonique trying to inspect the school
Our bus was washed away by the water off campus about 500 feet and was stoped by another big truck when the two colided.
The east side of the wall on my house is gone.
The bigger gate is gone.
The water reached the roof yesterday afternoon.
The construction effort we made on the cafeteria is ruined.
The steel that we bought to use for the roof of the cafeteria is nowhere to be found.
Tables and benches, fabric for uniform, all school supplies we had, computers in the lower level are all gone.
In the midst of all these things Living Water is still serving the community. We have about 200 people who took refuge at Living Water’s upper level. We have at least 500 people at the present; a number of them are babies, we have one woman who has an 8 day old baby with her. The people do not have anything to eat. The water left nothing for our people.
Micah, our administrator, does not save not even one pair of shoes. I mean, it is total devastation. All our leaders are affected. Some houses belonging to our people are damaged, others are gone altogether. I am glad that we made the effort to put the upper level on our house. We housed over 50 people last night and more people are still coming to take refuge in our home.
I want you all to know that the two missionaries that we have with us, namely Bill Fudge and Scott Hudson are safe and sound. We need a lot of prayer, as they say that we may have more rain coming. Pray, please pray.
We did not have the time to save much, except our important paper and some important stuff for Gine, my wife. I do not save a single book which was in my house, not even my Bible. Brothers and sisters, it is as I said a total devastation.
Our biggest request to you is please pray that we do not have another hurricane, and any more rain for a while.
Please send funds to help us buy food to feed our people and those who take refuge in our campus and in my home. Pray for the city as a whole. Many of our people are down and discouraged. We need clothes. We need toiletery. We need anything that people need to survive.
We love you. We count on you.
Salonique Adolphe