Church sends more supplies to distressed Salvadorans
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The Church is continuing its efforts to assist Salvadorans recovering from a Jan. 13 earthquake that killed hundreds, left thousands without their homes and caused millions of dollars in damage.
The quake is believed to have claimed 15 Church members, including many buried under a slide of soil and rock triggered by the rumbling earth. No missionaries serving in El Salvador were harmed. Full-time missionaries were enlisted almost immediately for rescue and massive cleanup efforts, often working shoulder to shoulder and sunburned with Salvadoran soldiers and others in "bucket brigades" to clear out mud and rubble.
The disaster has devastated the lives of many members, said Bishop Francisco Raymundo of the Las Palmeras Ward, San Salvador El Salvador La Libertad Stake. While there is food in the stores, some members have been left without money.
Members have tried to be self-sufficient, Bishop Raymundo said. During Jan. 21 Sunday services, members brought anything they could spare to be shared with others — money, food or clothing.
"Everybody brought something for a fast offering," said Bishop Raymundo's wife, Elvira.
While Salvadorans are saddened and forever changed by the destruction, Bishop Raymundo said he has seen remarkable acts of faith.
One single mother with little money dropped off a sack of food at the bishop's office, he said. An elderly member came to Church loaded with supplies to share as her offering. When younger members began the task of sorting and distributing the offerings, the arthritic woman bent to assist.
"I told her she was too sick to be doing that, but she looked at me and said, 'I feel better if I can help,' " Bishop Raymundo said.
Originally, it appeared sufficient relief resources were available in El Salvador, said Church spokesman Dale Bills. But when Church representatives assessed the damage in El Salvador and met with local government and church officials, they discovered outside help was needed. They identified "a critical need" for tents and other items to provide temporary shelter, along with blankets, hand tools and food. Humanitarian shipments were prepared in Salt Lake City for transport to El Salvador via air and sea.
A DC-8 jet loaded with 85,000 pounds of relief items left Miami, Fla., on Jan. 24 and arrived in the capital city of San Salvador that same day. Four 40-foot containers filled with supplies to be shipped by ocean was transported by truck from Salt Lake City to Los Angeles on Jan. 22. That shipment is expected to arrive in El Salvador the first week in February.
About 30 percent of the humanitarian shipments will be distributed to Church members, according to Randy Ripplinger of Church public affairs. The remaining items will be distributed by a charitable organization headed by the First Lady of El Salvador.
Among the humanitarian items shipped to El Salvador are 800 tents, 11,500 blankets, 180 rolls of plastic sheeting, 10,970 meters of rope, 11,500 hygiene kits, 400 cases of soap, six pallets filled with first aid and medical supplies, nine pallets of shovels and other assorted tools and 150 wheelbarrows.
More than 27,000 kilos of food and personal items were also sent, including vegetable oil, shortening, beans, rice, pasta, milk and diapers.
Officials said 356 member-owned houses were damaged or destroyed. Several Church meetinghouses sustained minor damage. A few meetinghouses have been used as emergency shelters.
The Salvadoran government has set up 13 refugee camps and may open as many as 100 more. Local officials are also concerned about disease outbreaks. Already, there are reports of 24 cases of dengue fever, according to Rich McKenna, manager of administration for LDS Humanitarian Service.
The earthquake, which has displaced tens of thousands of Salvadorans, caused sizable damage to crops.
"Because the damage is localized, many neighborhoods in San Salvador and towns throughout the country are virtually unaffected by the earthquake," said Elder Harold C. Brown, an Area Authority Seventy and managing director of LDS Welfare Services.
Church members around the world can assist victims of the El Salvador earthquake, along with others in need, by donating to the Church's humanitarian aid fund, making generous fast offerings and volunteering at bishops' storehouses, canneries, farms and other welfare facilities. (See Jan. 20, 2001, Church News).
Email: jswensen@desnews.com
