March 3, 2010
The following is from Alliance missionary Dave Woerner in Chile:
The situation has evolved quickly over the past three days.
Saturday there was very little communication except by battery operated radio, for the majority of Chile’s population.
By Sunday we were becoming more aware of the damage in our own areas, some 200 miles north of the epicenter, and only on Monday was information beginning to flow regarding the extent of the damage in the Concepción area.
CHURCH DAMAGE:
We are aware of several churches with minor damage and two with significant damage in Chillán and Talca.
There is a Facebook report that the church and parsonage in Curicó have fallen.
The tsunami reached the door of the church in Constitucion and there is nothing left but piles of destruction from the church to the ocean.
There are still a dozen or so churches in the Concepción and Arauco areas from which there has been no word.
National church leaders are traveling today to see their needs. In a day or two we should know more. There are no reports of injuries to pastors or their families at this time.
FIRST RESPONSES:
The Chilean Alliance church has called for a national relief offering and the C&MA of the US is also receiving relief funds.
The Cordillera Church in Santiago has sent a truck load of supplies to Constitucion and continues to receive help for that area. In the southern city of Puerto Montt, the First Alliance Church is collecting goods to send the quake zone.
GOOD NEWS:
There are thousands of people in the most affected areas who have not been able to make contact with the outside still.
One of our seminary professors, Santiago Garros was teaching at a camp near the beach in Constitucion when the quake and tsunami struck. Until Monday there was no information about his condition. We have since learned that he is well.
A TESTIMONY OF MIRACULOUS PROTECTION:
Our church in Reñaca was concerned for one of our families who had recently moved to Concepción. They had only been their two weeks when the catastrophe struck. Despite all efforts to learn of their condition, we knew nothing until yesterday.
Alex and Rosa Maria were living in a new 15 story high rise near the coast in Concepción, on the sixth floor.
They were asleep when the building began to shake violently. They ran to their children and we hugging five year old Doménica and one year old Alex when the building fell sideways, crashing to the ground. They were on the sixth floor of the building that has been seen in news reports around the world.
In total darkness, Alex felt his way through a maze of broken walls and furniture, climbing and descending until he felt fresh air and discovered a rupture in the wall for their escape.
He returned to find his family and a neighbor family to lead them to escape. His help was also essential for rescue workers to locate other survivors.
“I thank God I am alive. It is a miracle of God for my family” were the words we heard from him on national television.
We have still not been able to contact them and would know nothing of their miraculous salvation if not for the news report.
In the background of this capture from the TV interview, you can see the openings made by rescuers to search for more survivors. The numbers by the holes mark the number of the floor.
(prepared by Bob Hepokoski as I don’t have electric internet or phone.)
February 27, 2010
From the CAMA Website:
On Saturday, February 27, 2010 at 3:34 a.m. local time (1:34 a.m. EST) an 8.8 magnitude earthquake devastated portions of Chile and triggered tsunami warnings to be posted for the entire Pacific basin.
The quake’s epicenter was located 325 km SW of Santiago. In this city of 200,000 the earth shook for approximately one and a half minutes. The tremor was strong enough to cause the crumbling of many structures. Local reports state that people were streaming into the streets wrapped in blankets and fearing for their lives.
Initial news reports say that as many as 147 people have died and untold numbers have been injured in this earthquake.
Currently a CAMA representative is meeting with Chilean personnel to review the damage and formulate a plan. More information will be forthcoming as we receive word from our people on the ground.
Make a Difference
Join us in linking the Word and deed by allowing CAMA to be your hands to our Chilean brothers and sisters. Together, we can help support those whose lives have been disrupted by this earth shattering disaster.”
>>>Read more about how you can make a difference on CAMA Website
