"Tropical storms and hurricanes are not exactly uncommon in these parts. When you hear of one coming, it does usually not cause much alarm. We were tracking Tropical Storm Fiona yesterday, but it didn't look like it was going to do much. We brought our furniture in off of our porch, but not much else. We went to bed as normal to some strong breezes knowing that the school would be closed for the next two days because we were expecting a lot of rain.
At 2 am the rain woke me up. People, we sleep with a rain app on, and I am a very sound sleeper, so it was some storm. I started praying for the people in the villages. With the wind howling and the trees rustling so much, branches started snapping off of the trees below, as we became fully aware that what was supposedly going be a baby storm had developed into a full-force hurricane and that we were in it." -- A fellow missionary wrote in their most recent newsletter
Front Porch View
Back porch view - (from inside my glass sliding doors)
Back porch view - (outside on the porch)
Winds were intense. Weather channel said winds were 30 - 90 miles per hour in the D.R. Palm Branch Leaves were 90 degrees.
Water was coming in through our windows. All my towels, bath mats, and several t-shirts were used to keep from water spreading to other furniture and areas of the house.
Missionaries in a different apartment building had their glass sliding doors coming out of the tracks. They had to hold them in place so they didn't fall out. The screens on their porches were torn out due to the wind.
In town there was a lot of flooding. You are now seeing the main road into town, the route we would go to get to the bateys (villages). The blue rectangle there is a billboard. The top of the sign is probably around 17 feet tall.
The wind and water did cause damage. Overall there was not a lot of damage on our campus, but we do have a few staff members who lost the roofs on their homes, which meant a bit of damage to many of their belongings.
Here is another missionary's account --> "Our watchman, Lico, lives in a small house on campus and the roof blew off, so we headed out this morning with some others to help evacuate the family. The poor people had every possession soaked. Two of the women just stood in the hallway of the school shivering and seemingly in shock after having the ceiling of their home literally fly away. I was using wet bed sheets as a knapsack to carry large quantities of sopping wet clothing back and forth to the breezeway at the school. The guys were carrying mattresses, furniture, appliances... perhaps some will be saved, but I suspect that there is much loss. The place is a complete mess. Metal sheets from the roof are all over the place, we were tripping over fallen passion fruit, misfit shoes, and household wares, all while completely drenched and trying to stay upright and not get carried away from the wind."
Update on that specific situation --> We were able to house our watchman and his family in one of our guest apartments, which is fully furnished. We are working with them and another staff member who also lost a lot to rebuild.
After the worst of the storm passed our team went around campus to clean up water flooding in classrooms, fallen trees, trash blown around, etc.
Our Palm trees have lost their branches
Even after the storm had past flooding and debris kept us from opening our doors back for our students. After some of the flooding went down the missionary guys went out to clear off the roads, so that our buses would be able to get though to get our kids.
Overall we went one week without school. During that time many of our staff were without electricity. As we were on solar we were limited due to the cloudy and rainy days, but had some and were never completely without.
The storm also knocked down the tower in town that allowed us to have internet. We have been without internet for about 3 weeks, but praising the Lord cell service is still in order and functioning! The hotspot, although not nearly as reliable, has been our friend as we work and communicate with others.
School is back in session and the busyness of running and investing in a school with close to 500 students, over 40 teachers, and 60 Dominican staff members is back in full swing.
Please keep us in your prayers. School itself is a lot.
Pray for wisdom in our leadership team as they decipher the biggest needs and the best way to help. Beyond the damage Fiona caused, each of our kids have a story..... Many don't know the Lord and are struggling with battles they shouldn't have to face. Pray for wisdom as we walk with them through these struggles .... as we walk alongside our Dominican teachers and staff, train them, encourage them, and do the best we can with the resources and people God has given us.
To be honest it feels we are short ... it feels like we don't have enough people or resources for the task at hand .. but I know our God is bigger .. our God sees us ... It's not us the people, or the resources that are going to accomplish His work ... It is Him. I appreciate your prayers as we trust God's plan and do the best we can with the people we have and the resources He has given.
>> Thinking and praying for all those going through hardships and dealing with damage from Hurricane Ian <<
Comments