austraLasia #2513

Sisters stand tall amidst disaster
 
MANILA and MELBOURNE: 26th September 2009 -- In the past several hours two FMA Provincials have been in touch from two disaster-stricken areas - one in the Philippines and the other in the South Pacific, or more correctly the latter from Melbourne but responsible for her Sisters in Samoa and American Samoa.  Both wanted to express the circumstances in which their Sisters now find themselves, and their response to that.  What stands out in both cases is the way the Sisters, once they found that they themselves were safe, have immediately set to the task of helping others less fortunate than themselves.  But first it is important to note that in both cases - Manila and the South Pacific - the Sisters themselves are ok and their families for the most part surviving the ordeal.
    If we begin with the most recent of events, the undersea 'quake and resulting tsunami near the Samoas, we note the following:
    "We have had a stressful and tiring day but at the end of it all the Sisters are safe. They all felt the earthquake at about 6.30am this morning. The Sisters from Leauva’a evacuated to Moamoa. It took most of the day to be able to contact the Sisters in Lepua, American Samoa. However they are all fine. They sheltered and entertained about 200 children from the preschool and Primary School for the day because many were on their way when the tsunami hit. The Staff and Sisters of Marist St Francis were able to watch the tsunami pass in front of them before hitting Pago Pago. They are now staying put and bracing themselves for another night of danger as the aftershocks and further high seas are forecast.  Almost all the families of the sisters have been located and found to be safe.  We are very grateful for this and will now reach out to those most in need". Sr. Margaret Bentley. 
    So, first response - take in the kids straggling along the road, and given what we now know with several waves sweeping in one after the other, that alone probably saved lives.
    Manila has taken some days to be in touch, but as Sr Alice explained, no electricity makes it difficult to send emails!  In Manila's case, while there was no loss of life amongst Sisters and their families, there was unfortunately considerable loss of property, a number of families losing everything.
    Sr Alice - actually it's Sr Debbie Ponsaran who wroe up the account - says: "As necessitated by the situation, the communities of Don Bosco School in Sta. Mesa, Manila and the Provincial House gave immediate response to the needs of 150 displaced families from the neighborhood by generously opening its door as an evacuation center. The houses of these families which are made of plywood and cardboards were submerged in water when the filthy river of garbage and trash overflowed in an instant! They were left helpless and homeless and tried to save their lives, especially their children, by wading through the water that kept rising with the continuous rains. Some families who have higher houses opted to stay while others were trapped on their rooftops and had to brave the night soaked in the cold. The Sisters generously went out of their way to prepare the school hall, laid cardboards and sacks to temporarily warm their bodies. Foods were continuously served to feed them and the stranded students, teachers and some parents. The people in turn endlessly express their gratitude to the Sisters for the goodness and benevolence shown to them. When the waters had subsided a bit, a number of Sisters went around the affected area nearby to see the reality and know what else could be done. The people approached them and spontaneously shared their fears, anxieties and pains they went through that Saturday night. Along the street, a young man in all simplicity asked: 'Sisters, why are you so good to us?' The Sister spontaneously answered him: 'Because we are followers of Jesus and we do this in His name...in His love for you.'.  Amen to that.
    Meanwhile, there are reports of yet another natural disaster in our region, this time on the island of Sumatra in Indonesia.  It is not an island that the Salesians or Sisters are working in. Sumatra is west of Java - it is the long island that runs up past Singapore and Malaysia, to put it in quite ungeographical terms! But naturally we feel the weight of all this human misery visited upon us by the forces of nature, not forgetting that the rains which devastated parts of Manila have gone on to wreak similar havoc in Vietnam and Cambodia.
    Hopefully tomorrow we can catch up with a number of other news items that have come in from around the Region.  

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Title: australasia 2513
Subject and key words: Salesian Family FMA Manila, Samoa
Date (year): 2009
ID: 2000-2099|2513