Our 1st Trip into Villahermosa After the Flood

After making our first successful trip into Villahermosa, Tabasco since last week's floods and getting additional information from other sources, we can report the following. For those of you who got my email, there are a few additions and corrections.

The Bad News
...The flooded areas are truly awful, and there are many of them. Water has receded some but remains as deep as 8-12 feet in many places around the city.
...Clearly Lorena Valesquez' email reflects the degree of fatigue by volunteers. Since this is basically Day 5 of a major natural disaster that will take months/years to recover from, it would make sense that they are exhausted.
...The flooding has now expanded into numerous parts of northern Chiapas as well. Those outside of the inner city of Villahermosa are surely at greater risk of not receiving assistance. This has become a greater problem within the last 48 hours, and these communities are so far removed from the relief efforts, that we are likely to shift our future assistance efforts to them.
...The area in which we deposited 3 large loads of medicine, clothes, food,
diapers, necessities and 50 large containers of water did NOT appear to have received many other donations of supplies.
...There are neighbors in Pablo & Jan's old and current neighborhoods who refuse to leave their homes and who are receiving aid from volunteers by boat.
...Pastor Joel's wife, Miriam, has a serious foot ulcer that has been
exacerbated by the flood conditions.
...We still have no current information about Betsy Casola or Ana Moralez or the family of Karina Gonzalez Coronel.

The Good News
...We were able to drive all the way to the old seminary, which is well into the city and the site of the Presbytery offices and the shelter operated by the Presbyterian churches and Hebron Foundation. Although we had to drive through 2 very deep areas of water, we were never in danger. The picture you see taken from inside my car was one of those 2 places.
...Where it is bad, it is very, very bad. But there are many places where it's not so bad. That means that there are places for people to escape to and places where they can find shelter and assistance.
...At the seminary there was a very well-organized operation ready to receive contributions and that was actively providing food, medical attention, housing and the provision of basic needs to about 850 people.
...We saw Pastors Joel & Pancho, their wives and Joel's son. All are safe, in
good spirits and able to answer important questions. Lorena and Pancho's son, Paco, were out delivering to those in Bosque who had refused to leave their homes.
...Pancho thinks that PCUSA/PDA is there with at least 2 representatives. He reported that Lorena is aware of the $20K in relief money and trying to tap into it.
...We learned from Huascar, the seminary director, through Ed Jennings, that an American teacher at the new seminary was able to be evacuated to Merida and was probably able to fly home from there.
...Also from Ed, we learned that the woman from Coastal Carolina Presbytery that was supposed to meet up with the folks from White Memorial Presbyterian (who were evacuated last Tuesday) is still in the Villahermosa area, staying with the seminary director's brother. We hope to help get her out this week.
...Also from Ed, we learned that the new seminary is in relatively good shape with not too much water damage. The director's house is surrounded by water, but otherwise the other buildings are more elevated.
...Pablo and Jan's house and the area near the new seminary are likely okay with far less water than most other places. Ezras is okay and likely staying at the house.
...It was a beautiful day with no rain and no rain in the immediate forecast.
...Now that we've been able to go in and out safely, we know that we can return in a few days with more supplies and volunteer assistance.

More information to follow. For now, any contributions should go through Hebron USA and be marked for Villahermosa Flood Relief, 6080 Old Brickstore Road, Greensboro, NC 27455.