austraLasia #3312
CEBU: 13 November 2013 -- As different individuals write in about the aftermath of Haiyan/Yolanda in the central part of the Philippines, it is possible to offer the following update:
It would seem that all SDB and FMA communities have been spared loss of life - many communities were in central Cebu which was less affected. Those communities SDB and FMA in the destructive path of Haiyan did suffer physical damage to buildings and structures, and there is concern for relatives of Salesians, Sisters, aspirants, school and oratory families who were closest to the badly affected areas. Relief activities at province levels have swung into action - and in some instances (the Sisters for example) were already underway in response to the earlier Bohol earthquake - that made it possible to direct immediate help to those most in need.
From Lawaan we hear that one confrere and two aspirants have family in the immediate area of Tacloban City or on Bantayan island where most homes were badly damaged; they have gone up there to discover news of their families, since the lack of communications has made it impossible to know otherwise.
Bishop Cantillas SDB, whose diocese is in southern Leyte, one of the worst affected islands, writes that "By God's mercy and loving care my diocese had been spared from great destruction. A parish church has been damage at its part of the roof. We have mobilized our faithful for help for our neighboring dioceses. We have no electricity till now and for the coming weeks. Fuel is of limited supply. Food is still available."
The southern Philippines Province (FIS) has a relief campaign in action, with all houses contributing to a store of 30,000 food packages that they hope to have distributed by this coming weekend. The Sisters, with a community along the central coast road, well-placed as a relief centre and able to take in 800 people; they had already been preparing food packages for relief in earthquake-stricken Bohol. They have been able to redirect some of this. The Salesian community in Borongan, very close to the badly affected area, is itself a relief centre. Aspirants from Lawaan are volunteering their help with a government agency in preparing relief packages.
The Sisters have provided a detailed account of damage to various schools and communities on their central website.
A number of Salesian NGOs have been in contact, especially with the Cebu-based Province, to offer assistance. Don Bosco Network (DBN) is amongst these.
CEBU: 13 November 2013 -- As different individuals write in about the aftermath of Haiyan/Yolanda in the central part of the Philippines, it is possible to offer the following update:
It would seem that all SDB and FMA communities have been spared loss of life - many communities were in central Cebu which was less affected. Those communities SDB and FMA in the destructive path of Haiyan did suffer physical damage to buildings and structures, and there is concern for relatives of Salesians, Sisters, aspirants, school and oratory families who were closest to the badly affected areas. Relief activities at province levels have swung into action - and in some instances (the Sisters for example) were already underway in response to the earlier Bohol earthquake - that made it possible to direct immediate help to those most in need.
From Lawaan we hear that one confrere and two aspirants have family in the immediate area of Tacloban City or on Bantayan island where most homes were badly damaged; they have gone up there to discover news of their families, since the lack of communications has made it impossible to know otherwise.
Bishop Cantillas SDB, whose diocese is in southern Leyte, one of the worst affected islands, writes that "By God's mercy and loving care my diocese had been spared from great destruction. A parish church has been damage at its part of the roof. We have mobilized our faithful for help for our neighboring dioceses. We have no electricity till now and for the coming weeks. Fuel is of limited supply. Food is still available."
The southern Philippines Province (FIS) has a relief campaign in action, with all houses contributing to a store of 30,000 food packages that they hope to have distributed by this coming weekend. The Sisters, with a community along the central coast road, well-placed as a relief centre and able to take in 800 people; they had already been preparing food packages for relief in earthquake-stricken Bohol. They have been able to redirect some of this. The Salesian community in Borongan, very close to the badly affected area, is itself a relief centre. Aspirants from Lawaan are volunteering their help with a government agency in preparing relief packages.
The Sisters have provided a detailed account of damage to various schools and communities on their central website.
A number of Salesian NGOs have been in contact, especially with the Cebu-based Province, to offer assistance. Don Bosco Network (DBN) is amongst these.
