Disaster Relief
Restoring Lives Torn Apart by Hurricane Tomas
By Christine Habrle
- Providing Necessities
- Praying with Families
- Giving Children School Supplies
- New Bedding and Mattresses
- Thankful for the Help
COSTA RICA -“It has been very sad and very painful to see my children feeling cold, sleeping on the floor,” Josefa Pizzaro says.
Sleeping on muddy, smelly mattresses, cramming into friend’s homes or living on the street, and scavenging for food are the struggles some Costa Ricans face daily as they try to survive after a disaster. But at just the right moment CBN’s Operation Blessing began helping to restore their lives.
“This help arrived when we needed it most,” Ana says.
Many people couldn’t get help until Operation Blessing stepped in.
“This is a dream,” Josefa Pizarro says.
Josefa Pizzaro and her family escaped with just the clothes on their back the frightening day Hurricane Tomas passed by Escazú in early November 2010. Heavy rains and strong winds battered the community whipping up destruction as far as the eye could see.
“The Government declared it uninhabitable. A new town could not be established there, nor could the homes be reconstructed,” CBN Staff Member Alejandro Zamora says. “The land dedicated to farming also could not be utilized by the enormous quantity of rocks and mud.”
Although Escazú is a well-known upscale location in Costa Rica not far from the capitol city of San Jose, the devastated area is primarily farmland and property owners fall into the middle income levels.
“In what’s left of our room, there are a few things thrown about that we must burn because they no longer work,” Laura Alvarado says
“Almost every family lost it all: house, clothes, food, beds, and other furniture. Some even lost family members in this tragedy,” Zamora says.
God will bring peace to them as He mends their broken hearts. In the meantime He sparked CBN staff in Costa Rica to provide critical necessities to begin the rebuilding process.
“This is my stove! My own stove,” Vera Solis exclaims!
Besides appliances, furniture, clothing and other materials Operation Blessing also took groceries and school supplies to the families. Those gifts eased financial burdens and improved the living conditions of many people. Little by little they are now able to afford to buy materials for new homes.
“Thank you very much, God and Operation Blessing, for the help you’ve given me,” Yorleny Gonzalez says. “Now, I will be able to return the bed I borrowed, and sleep in my new bed.”
With new beds meeting their immediate needs, Josefa Pizzaro doesn’t worry anymore about her children getting cold while they sleep.
“For them it will be a great joy and now they will feel like they’ve recovered the bed they had,” she says. “I will feel like I sleep on a five star hotel bed.”
Experiencing Operation Blessing’s outpouring of care really opened her eyes to the ways the Lord works through people.
“We see that there are people concerned with helping us after the tragedy,” Josefa says.
When you give to CBN you make it possible for Operation Blessing to help people around the world. If you are not yet involved, please join us and bring a message of hope to people throughout the world. Become a partner today!
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