| Cyclone Mick Blows By [12/15/2009] |
WOW! “What a Christmas to remember!”
Sunday a cyclone formed over Rotuma to come straight over Viti Levu at us here in Suva. The winds were 60-80 km/hour sustained with gusts of 150 km/hour (98 mph). What an experience!
The cyclone came and went. Here’s our story.
Monday morning around 2 a.m. we all woke up to gale-force winds. We went to bed Sunday night with a tropical depression warning, and we woke up with a Category One tropical cyclone warning. As Tropical Cyclone Mick neared our island, Viti Levu, it intensified to a Category 2 tropical cyclone. The tropical cyclone affected the entire Fiji islands, and it passed directly over Viti Levu. The storm was unique in that the eye and damaging center of the cyclone was so huge. The winds and rains were being pushed in front of the storm. There are only 4 dead and 2 missing. 3,800 people are in evacuation centers, major roads are closed, electricity and water are out.
Homes of Hope is so thankful to the volunteers who helped build our sturdy homes! All of our structures stood strong, even the kiln shed! The wind was blowing gusts up to 100 miles per hour for most of Monday. It was a cold and wet day. Our power was out, which made it seem even darker. Solo, Mark, and some of the moms were out weatherizing some of our damaged areas during the day. We were soaked. It was wetter than any bathroom shower.
The rain was blowing sideways most of the day. It came in through our louvers and blew up under the roof. But that was the extent of damage to our buildings. Many people in low-lying areas have had their homes flooded, leaving a foot of mud. Through Sunday night into Monday, Viti Levu received 8-12 inches of rain. Many roads are open now to one lane travel two days later, yet some are still closed. They are closed due to flooding, downed power lines, huge trees, and mud slides.
We have been trying to stay in touch with our team in Naitisiri. They are right in the middle of Viti Levu in the highlands. They cannot get news, so they are calling us to hear the bigger story. They are stuck up there for a few more days until roads and bridges are clear. Lynnie said in that village two houses were swept into the river, one roof blew off, and many thatched huts lost their bamboo walls. The team stayed safe in a concrete house. There is more news about them later.
Many of our crops and small trees were destroyed. We had about 200 banana trees; now only a dozen are left. Our gardens were safe, but the crops are waterlogged.
Our damage could have been much worse. The girls tried to stay dry doing beads, they played games, and they sang songs throughout the storm. It’s awesome to me, the great way some of the moms know how to find peace. During a prayer time, one of the girls said to me, “Well, this is a Christmas to remember!”
It is late at night as I write this. We spent Tuesday trying to clean up the mess around our buildings. We have several huge trees down that will have to be cut up. One crushed our fence. The moms worked hard cleaning the dorms and bures all day. We had leaves, mud, water, and broken limbs everywhere. The teenage boys cleaned up banana trees and broken branches. Power came on late in the afternoon. Some of our office computers and equipment were soaked as the rain came down in interior walls. We’ll see if they are still working later.
Everyone is tired tonight. Our workers might be able to come tomorrow so that we will have some men to do larger clean up.
Thank you again for helping us to build a safe place to live!
Thank you for helping young moms be safe from storms: cyclones and sexual exploitation. We are grateful to our Lord and to you for your generosity, gifts, and sweat given in this ministry.
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