Since hearing about the devastation that Dominica suffered from hurricane Erika, there was a desire in my heart to visit the island and offer whatever assistance was needed. I finally got the opportunity to do so last week with Is There Not A Cause (ITNAC), the local missions group that I have been a part of the past ten years. ITNAC has been working diligently since August to send relief supplies to those who were affected in Dominica, but this was our first trip to the "Nature Island"
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| The majestic mountains found throughout the entire country |
We had the pleasure of traveling with Liat, which meant that we had no idea what time we would actually be arriving in Dominica after making the requisite stops in Grenada and Barbados. We were delayed for just over an hour, so we landed at 5pm and got through Customs with minimal issues. Our driver then informed us, that if our flight had been delayed for half an hour longer, we may not have been able to land, since the runway lights have yet to be repaired so they cannot cater for night landings at this time. We thank God for ensuring that we arrived safely at our destination.
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| Temporary road built to access the airport |
Unlike other countries we have visited in the aftermath of natural disasters, we didn't find any persons living in shelters in Dominica. All residents who were displaced by Erika are now staying with friends or relatives, or have been placed in guest houses by the government. Although for the most part, their physical needs for food and clothing are being met, their psychological and emotional needs are huge.
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| Climbing a hill to meet with survivors of Erika |
Imagine seeing a river totally change it's course and sweep away houses in its path.
Imagine having to leave the community where you grew up and lived all your life, no longer having daily contact with your old neighbours and relatives because everyone is living somewhere else.
Imagine having to leave behind your house and all your possessions, which were not destroyed in the floods, because the government has condemned your entire community.
Imagine losing fourteen members of your family in the space of hours.
Imagine sleeping in late one morning, and hearing that your workplace was destroyed by an explosion which killed seven of your coworkers, including your dad.
These are just some of the experiences shared by persons who we visited. We listened to their stories, prayed with them, and offered them words of encouragement.
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| Uncle is missing his normal routine of life |
There are also some communities which have been without pipe-born water since Erika, because their local dams were destroyed by the floods. They have been able to survive on rain water and truck-borne water supplies, but have the added expense of purchasing drinking water. In addition to this, due to the numerous rivers in Dominica, there are many bridges which link one village to the next. Almost all these bridges were destroyed, so temporary bridges were installed. It would cost millions of dollars to replaced all the bridges which were damaged by rivers bursting their banks.
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| One of the many bridges destroyed by Erika |
Due to some mix up in communication, the last shipment of goods sent up from Trinidad to Dominica were still on the port, awaiting clearance. We spent some time sorting out these details to ensure that the items would be cleared. In the meantime, team members pooled their resources to purchase some basic groceries which were made into hampers, and given out to needy families in the community where we were staying. One recipient expressed her sincere gratitude, as just that morning, she was looking at her dwindling supplies and wondering where her next meal would be coming from. Some of the families we helped had lost crops in the floods, so their income was severely restricted.
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| Groceries for distribution. |
Another casualty of hurricane Erika were the beaches. Residents lamented the loss of some beautiful beaches after the coastline was damaged by the heavy rains and floods. Despite this, we were still able to get in a little sea bath, although there were more rocks than sand!
Throughout our entire trip, we experienced God's favor in providing transport for us. The village where we were based does not have much transportation available outside of rush hour, but time and time again we saw God sending vehicles to take us where we needed to go. From a bus which was willing to go off his usual route to take us home, to an air traffic controller who gave us a ride straight to the grocery, to the panel van with no seats in the back who was going in the opposite direction, but consented to drop us home, and gave us two bags of cassava in the process - all these were sent by God in direct answer to our prayers for a ride!
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| One of our many delicious meal provided by our gracious hosts! |
So although it was not what we expected, we thank God for the opportunities He provided to be a blessing to the people of Dominica that we encountered, and for His favor and provision throughout.
