I have finally been able to arrange a 4X4 to go down island tomorrow
and Thursday. The roads are now much better so the timing is good.
We have been able to source out rice, flour and sugar in 100 lb. bags
at a warehouse. The St. Lucia government controls the price of these
staples so anyone can buy in bulk. We hope to load about 500 lbs in
the jeep in the morning and deliver this along with 500, 2 lb. clear
plastic bags that will allow us to repackage and distribute.
I have arranged to speak with the interim principal of Camille Henry
Primary School in Castries. This school consistently is one of the
top schools on the island and produces many of the top students each
year. I am anxious to visit there and learn how they are managing to
be so successful.
It also sounds as if they may have one of The Learning Carpets in
their special education room. This will be interesting to find out if
anyone is using it and if they are interested in learning more.
My trip here has certainly been full of unexpected adventures. I have
spent a lot of time back and forth to Tapion Hospital with Aunt Pat.
The short version of this story is that she needs to have a pacemaker
installed. We are hoping that the surgeon will be able to do the
proceedure before Gail and I are scheduled to leave on November 25th
as there will be a lot of running around to do, several days in
hospital, and then several days of recuperation.
Please pray that all the timing works out and for skill for the
surgeons and staff along with a speedy recovery for Aunt Pat.
I will give you an update on our village and Canaries tomorrow night.
Blessings to all;
- Auntie Shel
Tuesday, 16 November 2010
Monday, 15 November 2010
Photos from Canaries
Canaries, "our" local village was hard hit by Hurricane Tomas. It's hard to even imagine what Canaries looked like before - or how they will get the schools and roads back to a usable state. We hope to keep you updated.
Photo courtesy of Canaries Infant School principal Ms. Laura Francis.
Photo courtesy of Canaries Infant School principal Ms. Laura Francis.
- The remains of a house in Canaries, washed into the river during the mudslides
- Canaries Primary School - who we partner with - covered in a foot of mud
- A fishing boat washed into the muddy streets of Canaries after Hurricane Tomas
- The streets of Canaries - covered in mud after the hurricane
- Trees and powerlines uprooted after Tomas
- Canaries Infant School - "our school" - with a foot of mud covering the yard and the inside of the classrooms.
- Digging out the bridge by hand
Saturday, 13 November 2010
Food Update
I spoke to Sandra this morning. This has become our habit as it keeps
me up to date and allows me to keep her up to date on my food forays.
She has recounted the number of homes and found we were short by 10.
Fortunately I had been buying by the case so there was extras of many
items that I was hoping to add to for the next delivery.
I am going to switch to buying some of the items in bulk such as
flour, sugar, and rice. The ladies will then repackage themselves in
small 2 lb bags. This will allow us to send more for our money. I
will have to go searching for places where I can buy the giant bags of
goods but fortunately I know just where to get the small plastic bags.
I am encouraged that the ladies are anxious to take on the task of
packaging and sharing the food that comes down. It has been a lot for
Sandra to handle on her own and it will be a way for the community to
work together in a very positive way.
Thank you so much to all of you who have donated monies to be used to
help those in need in our area. I plan to use any excess to donate to
the school feeding program in Canaries which has been disrupted. Many
of the village children are already undernourished and rely on this
meal 5 day per week as their major source of nutrition. No wonder
these children struggle in school and life. Let's hope the kitchen
area can be quickly repaired to allow food preparation to begin, even
if school is not in session.
Sandra reported that more and more people are walking up from Canaries
to do washing and to collect water. This is a drive which takes us
about 10 minutes so you can imagine how hard it is. Fortunately, the
return trip with the wet clothing and water is mostly downhill!!! The
sun however is very hot and many of the trees provide little shade
having lost their leaves in the hurricane. There will be many of the
old folks who cannot make this trek.
Word is that there is no rain in the immediate forecast. This is good
news as so many areas are still quite unstable and couldn't withstand
any more rain. It is also bad news as many areas still do not have
water or have just about run out of the water they have stored. With
the dam continuing to be out of commission, Castries has had to rely
on redirected water from old catchments and re-activating old water
lines to get service to some areas that were connected directly to the
new resevoir and dam. I spoke to someone yesterday whose husband is
with Wasco, the water agency. She said she has hardly seen him in the
2 weeks since the hurricane as they work around the clock. Her
husband says that this will be the norm for quite some time to come.
I hope he is paid for all this overtime as she works in a spa at
Windjammer resort which is now closed indefinitely.
I am off now to town to purchase the clear plastic bags for the rice,
flour etc. and to see if I can source out the bulk items I need. I
have a few ideas but it will undoubtedly be another adventure.
Please pray for continued safety in our village and the growing sense
of community that this disaster has created. Also continue to pray
for those in Canaries that are the most vulnerable, that relief will
continue to arrive on a regular basis, and that the water system can
be restored in much less time than predicted.
Blessings to all;
Auntie Shel
me up to date and allows me to keep her up to date on my food forays.
She has recounted the number of homes and found we were short by 10.
Fortunately I had been buying by the case so there was extras of many
items that I was hoping to add to for the next delivery.
I am going to switch to buying some of the items in bulk such as
flour, sugar, and rice. The ladies will then repackage themselves in
small 2 lb bags. This will allow us to send more for our money. I
will have to go searching for places where I can buy the giant bags of
goods but fortunately I know just where to get the small plastic bags.
I am encouraged that the ladies are anxious to take on the task of
packaging and sharing the food that comes down. It has been a lot for
Sandra to handle on her own and it will be a way for the community to
work together in a very positive way.
Thank you so much to all of you who have donated monies to be used to
help those in need in our area. I plan to use any excess to donate to
the school feeding program in Canaries which has been disrupted. Many
of the village children are already undernourished and rely on this
meal 5 day per week as their major source of nutrition. No wonder
these children struggle in school and life. Let's hope the kitchen
area can be quickly repaired to allow food preparation to begin, even
if school is not in session.
Sandra reported that more and more people are walking up from Canaries
to do washing and to collect water. This is a drive which takes us
about 10 minutes so you can imagine how hard it is. Fortunately, the
return trip with the wet clothing and water is mostly downhill!!! The
sun however is very hot and many of the trees provide little shade
having lost their leaves in the hurricane. There will be many of the
old folks who cannot make this trek.
Word is that there is no rain in the immediate forecast. This is good
news as so many areas are still quite unstable and couldn't withstand
any more rain. It is also bad news as many areas still do not have
water or have just about run out of the water they have stored. With
the dam continuing to be out of commission, Castries has had to rely
on redirected water from old catchments and re-activating old water
lines to get service to some areas that were connected directly to the
new resevoir and dam. I spoke to someone yesterday whose husband is
with Wasco, the water agency. She said she has hardly seen him in the
2 weeks since the hurricane as they work around the clock. Her
husband says that this will be the norm for quite some time to come.
I hope he is paid for all this overtime as she works in a spa at
Windjammer resort which is now closed indefinitely.
I am off now to town to purchase the clear plastic bags for the rice,
flour etc. and to see if I can source out the bulk items I need. I
have a few ideas but it will undoubtedly be another adventure.
Please pray for continued safety in our village and the growing sense
of community that this disaster has created. Also continue to pray
for those in Canaries that are the most vulnerable, that relief will
continue to arrive on a regular basis, and that the water system can
be restored in much less time than predicted.
Blessings to all;
Auntie Shel
Friday, 12 November 2010
Some Water Back On
Water is now on in parts of Castries and will be available on a rotating basis.
Interesting how the worst of times can bring out the best in people. I have spoken to so many people in the last few days and their conversation always begins with concern for how the other person has managed.
I met a young boy today who's house was destroyed in a landslide above Castries. He and his mother had rescued several neighbours who were trapped in their home. They are now living with friends and he is anxious to return to school.
Sandra called yesterday from the wash house in our village [Anse la Verdure]. The water is back on although it is still discoloured. People are walking all the way from Canaries to come to get water.
In Canaries there is concern that they may not have water for quite some time yet and this means that school will not be able to reopen. This means there will be no lunch program which is a serious blow for many of the poorest children who count on this as their main/only meal of the day. Unfortunately, many of the supplies for this program were also destroyed by the flooding and the ensuing power outages.
I am anxious to talk to the principals directly to see if anything can be done to restart this program sooner. I am sure however that both are doing the best they can to get their schools up and running as soon as possible.
Please pray especially for the most vulnerable in Canaries. They struggle to survive in good times but they will need extra help in the next weeks and months ahead. and I do not think that the community itself will be able to cope.
Blessings to all;
Auntie Shel
Interesting how the worst of times can bring out the best in people. I have spoken to so many people in the last few days and their conversation always begins with concern for how the other person has managed.
I met a young boy today who's house was destroyed in a landslide above Castries. He and his mother had rescued several neighbours who were trapped in their home. They are now living with friends and he is anxious to return to school.
Sandra called yesterday from the wash house in our village [Anse la Verdure]. The water is back on although it is still discoloured. People are walking all the way from Canaries to come to get water.
In Canaries there is concern that they may not have water for quite some time yet and this means that school will not be able to reopen. This means there will be no lunch program which is a serious blow for many of the poorest children who count on this as their main/only meal of the day. Unfortunately, many of the supplies for this program were also destroyed by the flooding and the ensuing power outages.
I am anxious to talk to the principals directly to see if anything can be done to restart this program sooner. I am sure however that both are doing the best they can to get their schools up and running as soon as possible.
Please pray especially for the most vulnerable in Canaries. They struggle to survive in good times but they will need extra help in the next weeks and months ahead. and I do not think that the community itself will be able to cope.
Blessings to all;
Auntie Shel
Monday, 8 November 2010
Some Headway
Finally managed to connect with Sylvanus to hand over the food I was
able to buy. It took some doing to find him and then to get my car to
where he was parked but it all worked out in the end.
I sent down 31x 1 lb bags and 31x 2 lb bags of rice along with 2 cases
of 7oz. of 48 cans of tuna in each case, 10 large packages of oats to
be divided, 3 cases of lentils or 72 bags, and a large bag of sugar to
be shared for now.
To give you some idea of what $50.00 cdn can buy here:
10 lbs of rice
10 tins of tuna
10 lbs of lentils
10 lbs of oats
1 lb of sugar.
That provides a real help when there is no food in the village.
The food I sent down today will create a smal blessing bag for each of
the 61 homes in the village. Not much but a start and a way to reach
out and show that they are in the thoughts and prayers of a lot of
people.
Tomorrow I will meet Sylvanus again and hope to have pasta, flour and
more sugar. After this we will start to assess where the greatest
need is and focus there.
I have heard that Simon, the local shop keeper had been able to get
transport to come in to town today so I am sure he will start to
restock his shelves. Some of the folks are getting back to work now
so they will not need on going help. Others however, rely on their
gardens to get by and most of these have suffered major damage.
I sent down the first batch of water tablets today and Katie is going
to be in charge of making sure they are used properly. Sandra
complained that the water they are able to get from the river is very
dirty. We talked through letting the water settle and then pouring if
out carefully into another container using the cloth Katie will have.
After this the water can be boiled or the tablets can be used.
I met Virgilia in town this morning. She lives in Anse La Verdure and
owns a little shop. On Fridays she makes a very popular goat stew
that seems to draw a lot of traffic. The roof of her shop had blown
off and she was in town to get the screws with washers to re-attach
the galvanized. Then she will be back in business. She seemed quite
up beat and said she had been reminding folks that they must remember
the old ways and go back to them. She has been cooking on her coal
pot and says others must be willing to do the same. Good for her!
I spoke to a number of people in Castries today in the shops and on
the street to ask how they were managing. All were worried most about
water and I have seen some creative solutions. One young man on the
beach had found a pipe in front of the Rendevous Hotel which is
currently being renovated. He was patiently sitting under a palm tree
watching the drips from the pipe fill his one litre bottle while he
watched the surf break on the beach. Someone has made a bamboo pipe
on the road up to the Morne and people are using this to fill bottles
and jerry cans with the constant runoff from the hills about. This is
on the outskirts of Castries.
Sandra said that NEMO has brought more water to the village, 2 bottles
per household and that the men from the area have been working to
clear and restore the water system in the village. Yesterday they
repaired some of the pipes and had water at the pump house but
overnight the pipe burst again and today there is no water.
I am now able to connect with Sandra more easily. Today I visited the
offices of Digicel and was able to top of my cell phone, which she has
at her home. I was also able to buy another cell phone which means
she can keep mine for now. This is one of the benefits of this
disaster. In the past I was unable to purchase a phone myself as I am
not a National. Today, they didn't ask me any questions and the price
is about one half of the usual cost.
Things here at Aunt Pat's continue to improve with the new roof in
place and most of the interior ceilings repaired. The damaged trees
have been taken down and hauled away and most of the other debris has
been collected. I think that there will be lots of work for the next
few months as people continue to repair their homes and make better
preparations for any future storm.
Lessons have been learned from Tomas but they are hard lessons. It
has been 30 years since anything like this has happened. Let's hope
it is even longer next time.
Blessings to all
Auntie Shel
able to buy. It took some doing to find him and then to get my car to
where he was parked but it all worked out in the end.
I sent down 31x 1 lb bags and 31x 2 lb bags of rice along with 2 cases
of 7oz. of 48 cans of tuna in each case, 10 large packages of oats to
be divided, 3 cases of lentils or 72 bags, and a large bag of sugar to
be shared for now.
To give you some idea of what $50.00 cdn can buy here:
10 lbs of rice
10 tins of tuna
10 lbs of lentils
10 lbs of oats
1 lb of sugar.
That provides a real help when there is no food in the village.
The food I sent down today will create a smal blessing bag for each of
the 61 homes in the village. Not much but a start and a way to reach
out and show that they are in the thoughts and prayers of a lot of
people.
Tomorrow I will meet Sylvanus again and hope to have pasta, flour and
more sugar. After this we will start to assess where the greatest
need is and focus there.
I have heard that Simon, the local shop keeper had been able to get
transport to come in to town today so I am sure he will start to
restock his shelves. Some of the folks are getting back to work now
so they will not need on going help. Others however, rely on their
gardens to get by and most of these have suffered major damage.
I sent down the first batch of water tablets today and Katie is going
to be in charge of making sure they are used properly. Sandra
complained that the water they are able to get from the river is very
dirty. We talked through letting the water settle and then pouring if
out carefully into another container using the cloth Katie will have.
After this the water can be boiled or the tablets can be used.
I met Virgilia in town this morning. She lives in Anse La Verdure and
owns a little shop. On Fridays she makes a very popular goat stew
that seems to draw a lot of traffic. The roof of her shop had blown
off and she was in town to get the screws with washers to re-attach
the galvanized. Then she will be back in business. She seemed quite
up beat and said she had been reminding folks that they must remember
the old ways and go back to them. She has been cooking on her coal
pot and says others must be willing to do the same. Good for her!
I spoke to a number of people in Castries today in the shops and on
the street to ask how they were managing. All were worried most about
water and I have seen some creative solutions. One young man on the
beach had found a pipe in front of the Rendevous Hotel which is
currently being renovated. He was patiently sitting under a palm tree
watching the drips from the pipe fill his one litre bottle while he
watched the surf break on the beach. Someone has made a bamboo pipe
on the road up to the Morne and people are using this to fill bottles
and jerry cans with the constant runoff from the hills about. This is
on the outskirts of Castries.
Sandra said that NEMO has brought more water to the village, 2 bottles
per household and that the men from the area have been working to
clear and restore the water system in the village. Yesterday they
repaired some of the pipes and had water at the pump house but
overnight the pipe burst again and today there is no water.
I am now able to connect with Sandra more easily. Today I visited the
offices of Digicel and was able to top of my cell phone, which she has
at her home. I was also able to buy another cell phone which means
she can keep mine for now. This is one of the benefits of this
disaster. In the past I was unable to purchase a phone myself as I am
not a National. Today, they didn't ask me any questions and the price
is about one half of the usual cost.
Things here at Aunt Pat's continue to improve with the new roof in
place and most of the interior ceilings repaired. The damaged trees
have been taken down and hauled away and most of the other debris has
been collected. I think that there will be lots of work for the next
few months as people continue to repair their homes and make better
preparations for any future storm.
Lessons have been learned from Tomas but they are hard lessons. It
has been 30 years since anything like this has happened. Let's hope
it is even longer next time.
Blessings to all
Auntie Shel
Saturday, 6 November 2010
Day One
Spent this morning using a mop and squeegy to deal with water leaks
from ongoing rain but the sky finally cleared by noon.
Headed into Castries to find that Royal Bank ATM is out of order so I
would have to make due with the cash I had brought down.
At Mega Js found tuna and lentils by the case but no rice. Headed to
Gablewood and bought rice and oats. Out of money at this point.
Sandra and I spoke several times and had arranged that I would meet
Sylvanus in Castries, however by the time I had all the goods
organized he had already headed back to Anse La Raye with a full van.
Darn.
Trying to arrange to meet him in Marigot tomorrow to hand over goods
and water purification tablets.
Spoke to one of our mentoring ladies this morning when I call car
company to cancel van. She now lives in Canaries but has been able to
get up to work for several days now. She reports that the road is at
less than 50% and that they have to get out and walk through the water
at one of the bridges in Anse La Raye.
The car company has no 4 wheel drive vehicles right now but maybe by
later in the week. Will have to keep checking in.
I have heard that there are plans to move heavy equipment up to the
dam by helicopter as the roads are impassable and the need is
immediate. Real concern that if there is another heavy rainfall, the
whole dam may let go. Let's hope they can move quickly on this.
There was no water in any of the shops that I visited today and
limited amounts of any beverages. Here at Coubaril we boil the water,
cool it, then refrigerate. This is fine for 2 people but is not a
good solution for many more.
Sandra reported today that our water was offered to everyone but many
complained that it was too far to carry it back. This is, of course,
true. There are several areas nearby where water is flowing down from
above in new mini-waterfalls. She said folks are using this source
for washing and bathing.
A friend called today and excited announced he had been able to
purchase a fresh chicken and wants to share it. Several other folks
are coming over for a sort of pot luck. I just hope by then I will
have been able to hand over all the food that is currently filling the
trunk of Aunt Pat's car. They could be enjoying a community 1 pot
tomorrow night.
I asked Sandra to find out how many houses are in the village - 62.
Wow. I would have guessed no more than 40. It is obvious I will have
to do some more exploring. She has included everyone around the bend
towards Castries as well. To be fair, the first load of food will be
distributed to every household. Once I can spend some time in the
village, it will be easier to tell where the greatest need is and who
needs help the most.
Word has come that Cannaries will combine the 2 schools in the Primary
School temporarily as it had less damage. Hoping to speak with Simona
directly soon to get more first hand information.
Blessings to all;
Auntie Shel
from ongoing rain but the sky finally cleared by noon.
Headed into Castries to find that Royal Bank ATM is out of order so I
would have to make due with the cash I had brought down.
At Mega Js found tuna and lentils by the case but no rice. Headed to
Gablewood and bought rice and oats. Out of money at this point.
Sandra and I spoke several times and had arranged that I would meet
Sylvanus in Castries, however by the time I had all the goods
organized he had already headed back to Anse La Raye with a full van.
Darn.
Trying to arrange to meet him in Marigot tomorrow to hand over goods
and water purification tablets.
Spoke to one of our mentoring ladies this morning when I call car
company to cancel van. She now lives in Canaries but has been able to
get up to work for several days now. She reports that the road is at
less than 50% and that they have to get out and walk through the water
at one of the bridges in Anse La Raye.
The car company has no 4 wheel drive vehicles right now but maybe by
later in the week. Will have to keep checking in.
I have heard that there are plans to move heavy equipment up to the
dam by helicopter as the roads are impassable and the need is
immediate. Real concern that if there is another heavy rainfall, the
whole dam may let go. Let's hope they can move quickly on this.
There was no water in any of the shops that I visited today and
limited amounts of any beverages. Here at Coubaril we boil the water,
cool it, then refrigerate. This is fine for 2 people but is not a
good solution for many more.
Sandra reported today that our water was offered to everyone but many
complained that it was too far to carry it back. This is, of course,
true. There are several areas nearby where water is flowing down from
above in new mini-waterfalls. She said folks are using this source
for washing and bathing.
A friend called today and excited announced he had been able to
purchase a fresh chicken and wants to share it. Several other folks
are coming over for a sort of pot luck. I just hope by then I will
have been able to hand over all the food that is currently filling the
trunk of Aunt Pat's car. They could be enjoying a community 1 pot
tomorrow night.
I asked Sandra to find out how many houses are in the village - 62.
Wow. I would have guessed no more than 40. It is obvious I will have
to do some more exploring. She has included everyone around the bend
towards Castries as well. To be fair, the first load of food will be
distributed to every household. Once I can spend some time in the
village, it will be easier to tell where the greatest need is and who
needs help the most.
Word has come that Cannaries will combine the 2 schools in the Primary
School temporarily as it had less damage. Hoping to speak with Simona
directly soon to get more first hand information.
Blessings to all;
Auntie Shel
Hurricane Damage - Arial Tour
As many of you know, Hurricane Tomas hit St Lucia on Sunday, October 31st. This video gives an idea of the widespread damage the island - which is volcanic, and its geography meant many mudslides.
A write up from the "Sun, Rain, Or .." blog by Finola Prescott, who has excellent connections to the situation in St Lucia:
A write up from the "Sun, Rain, Or .." blog by Finola Prescott, who has excellent connections to the situation in St Lucia:
What happened? A huge storm came up fast. So fast that no-one had time to prepare. Now granted, we all know we are supposed to prepare every year at the start of the hurricane season. But really. Most of us spend our waking and some sleeping hours trying to figure out how to make ends meet. Our little paradise island is not an easy place to live in and get everything you need to do done - cost of living is high, wages are not so; most people manage a decent enough life...but it doesn't extend to it being easy to prepare for rare disasters.
So the reality is most people give thanks for the blessings they have and hope to live another day; it's a common parting phrase "See you tomorrow, if God/Life spare". We live like most, in a balance of gratitude, work and complacency.
So today there is mobilization. Soufriere is almost incomprehensible. If you know Soufriere, it is one mountain after a next. St. Lucia is like that, but in Soufriere it is more mountains, more height in less space. So tourism, local housing....it's all on steep slopes or in the valley where the river ends. That's in the main, how St. Lucia is built.
When you fly over the island, you see snakes of houses perched on ridges, that's how we do it, and on most days, that's fine. But if you fly over today, you'll see swathes of red mud - our island is covered in a thick layer of red clay soils and in the rainy season, the water builds up and builds up until it can't hold anymore. To be honest, I don't think we yet have figures for total rainfall in the South as recording instruments were broken, but I heard we had 10 inches (250mm) in 24 hrs. Our soils were already soaked - they couldn't hold anymore.
We need help - there are calls for heavy duty earth movers, people need to lend their boats to the effort and we surely will need help keeping order as people will be getting desperate. With a tropical wave approaching, expected tomorrow, we pray that it does not develop or that it goes somewhere else as we cannot withstand more rain. Roads that people have been using, houses that are clinging by inches, if it rains, they will slip. It is probably worth trying to get as many people out of Soufriere before any further rain hits...I'll keep updating as I have news, but in the meantime -
I called the Red Cross - the main agency that assists here and they gave me the following info if you'd like to send money:
Donate to help for Tomas victims: St. Lucia Red Cross, First Caribbean International Bank, Bridge St. Castries, A/C # 2645392 swift code FCIBLCLC -Donate to help for Tomas victims: St. Lucia Red Cross, First Caribbean International Bank, Bridge St. Castries, A/C # 2645392
Swift codes for Intermediary Banks for funds coming in the following
currencies:
USD Wachovia Bank N.Y, SWIFT: PNBPUS3NNYC, ABA: 026005092
GBP BARCLAYS BANK, SWIFT: BARCGB22
EURO KBC BAN, SWIFT: KREDBEBB
Beneficiary Bank: FirstCaribbean Int’l
Bank Swift: FCIBLCLC
Because we are not so set up for e-commerce, you can't donate direct with your credit card - you can donate to the main Red Cross, but it won't reach us so fast - so please take the time to go to your bank and make a transfer using the info above.
Also NEMO (National Emergency Management Org)
there are full bank account details for emergency relief there.
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