November 13, 2009 – San Salvador, El Salvador…[Libna Stevens/IAD]
Seventh-day Adventist leaders in the Central American country of El Salvador are still assessing the damage caused by Hurricane Ida's torrential rains early this week. Flooding and mudslides destroyed roads, and bridges and buried homes. Of the more than 170 lives claimed by the storm, 30 were church members and in addition 16 are still missing. Ida was a category 2 hurricane when it passed through El Salvador.
“In all the years that I've been associated with the Adventist Development and Relief Agency in disaster response, I have never seen such a heavy loss among our church members in Inter-America,” said Wally Amundson, ADRA director for the church in Inter-America. “We are saddened by how this is impacting the members of our church in El Salvador and pray our leaders will have the endurance to face the immediate challenges.”
ADRA Emergency response is underway in the five municipalities of San Salvador, La Libertad, De La Paz, San Vicente and Cuzcatlan. More than 40,000 people have been affected by Ida, and thousands of the displaced families are scattered among 85 emergency shelters, said Jorge Salazar, ADRA El Salvador director.
Most of the deaths occurred in the central rural part of the country. So far ADRA El Salvador has 160 volunteers assisting the community, as well as rescue teams, according to Salazar. The government has also offered three helicopters to deliver ADRA supplies.
In addition to the funds released by ADRA and the IAD to assist the disaster relief effort, Hope for Humanity has sent special funds to assist affected communities and the general public surrounding the literacy circle program.
Saul Ortiz, treasurer for the church in the Mid-Central American Union headquartered in Honduras which overseas the church in El Salvador, just returned from a two-day visit with church leaders in San Salvador, the capital. Ortiz said one church member among the survivors lost 15 family members. “It's really very alarming that a fourth of the deaths were among our church members.”
Some 345 Adventist families were displaced by the storm, 206 of their homes were completely or partially destroyed and four church buildings were destroyed.
“It will be some time before we can rebuild these churches and families can return to their communities,” added Ortiz.
