Where He leads...: Disaster Relief in Barbuda

Disaster Relief in Barbuda

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On September 6th, Hurricane Irma crashed through the small island of Barbuda—home to around 1,800 residents. The Barbudans knew the storm was potentially coming their way and boarded up their homes to wait it out. What they heard might be a Category 3 or Category 4 hurricane came in as a terrifying Category 5. It's a miracle that only one life was lost in the storm. Please continue to pray for the family whose toddler son died when he was literally ripped from their arms by the strong winds. In the days that followed all the residents of Barbuda were evacuated to their larger sister island Antigua. They've been there ever since with limited opportunity to return.

Thankfully Antigua didn't receive much damage from Irma. We are able to operate from a base in Antigua to support our work in Barbuda. Every morning Mark and a construction crew board an early flight to Barbuda for a long, hot day helping the residents clean up and make repairs to their roofs. They've distributed tarps to help nearly 100 homes so far. For the homeowners who need assistance, Mark and the team are installing the tarps for them. Most of the homeowners have been able to do the work themselves and have been grateful to receive our materials. The team is also providing small generators for homeowners who are coming over to stay for a few days to start the cleanup efforts. Keep in mind that many Barbudans have not even had a chance to return to Barbuda to see their homes. Slowly some are starting to come back, but there are no major services on the island in order to actually move back and stay for any length of time. So far our organization is the only one providing clean drinking water on the island. There is no electricity and there is major damage done to the water and plumbing system.

It's been an emotional weekend for homeowners returning to Barbuda as the home assessments have begun. A structural engineer and others have been going from house to house declaring which houses can be saved and which will be condemned. Some homeowners who thought their house could be repaired are now learning that it will have to be demolished. Another trauma on top of the loss they've already experienced. Please pray for them as they process this catastrophe and face the days ahead. I am encouraged, however, by the many stories I'm hearing from Mark and the team about how they are seeing hope restored to the Barbudans when they see our teams working hard to help them. Our presence and friendship on Barbuda is making a difference and we trust will make a lasting impact on their lives for years to come. And that's our prayer... that we'll be used by Jesus to be His hands and feet each day and that the fruit of our work, both physical and spiritual, will remain long after we're gone.

This is C.G. Behind him is the shed his mom and dad, his daughter, and his two grandkids weathered Hurricane Irma in. As the first blast of the storm passed over their roof was ripped off. Then, in the calm of the eye they ran into the little shed because it was dry. Before they could get the door closed the second blast ripped the door open and then broke the little building into pieces. C.G.'s mom was sitting in the chair and couldn't move. The freezer had her pinned in but it also kept the wall from slamming down on them. C.G. said it was a miracle anyone survived.

Thank you for your continued prayers and encouragement. We are honored to have the opportunity to serve the people of Barbuda and we're meeting many incredible people through our base of operations in Antigua as well. We'll keep you posted when we can and please follow along with us on Facebook and Instagram for more photos and updates.