Photo via soschildrensvillages.org.uk

Bolivia not yet recovered from last year, floods strike again

For the second year in a row, Bolivia has been drenched by heavy rains that are causing flooding. Last March, World Gospel Mission reported that Bolivia was seeing the worst flooding in 25 years. This year, it got worse, reports MNN.

One published news source reports that nearly 79,000 families have been affected, and the waters have claimed 63 lives. President Evo Morales declared a state of natural calamity last month. Bolivia, the poorest country in South America, now has billions of dollars of damage since bridges, homes, and entire cities are underwater. Even 30,000 square miles of the Amazon Jungle is swamped.

For the second year in a row, Bolivians are watching their crops being demolished by rising waters. Homes are destroyed forcing people to take their tents and tarps to parks and roadsides to create temporary shelter.

As is often the case, hunger is the main concern. Many are hungry right now, and that problem will only increase as the days go by. Clean water is hard to come by, which is contributing to the spread of disease.

World Gospel Mission was working in Bolivia before the heavy rains came, and that work has proven to be beneficial during the flood. Fifty families received emergency food supplies in February, and the homes that WGM helped build for several families in Gauracal stood up to the heavy rains.

Last year, WGM's President Hubert Harriman called for Christians to form a sandbag brigade for those in Bolivia by providing the assistance we would in our own country. The need for that brigade is even greater this year. Missionaries are waiting to distribute Bibles, food, water and tarps.

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[03/18/2008]

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