L'Aquila earthquake relief

On April 6 a dreadful earthquake measuring 5.8 on the Richter scale hit the Abruzzo region in Italy killing over 300 people and destroying large parts of L'Aquila region, forcing tens of thousands of people to flee their homes.

The response from Family volunteers has been prompt and their efforts continue. Read their accounts month by month, from latest to oldest.

 

 

July - August 2009

presents:

A new project called “Piccoli Passi” (Little steps) was initiated in July. It consists of a series of after school courses and summer activities for children.

Most facilities offering this kind of service had been destroyed in the April quake. An opportunity arose when someone offered to build a small school, providing Family volunteers would help in the project.

It was an ideal opportunity to cooperate between individuals and organisations. They had the means to build a small wooden structure, and our association had the volunteers, with the needed experience to help staff it.

Now, while waiting for the construction to be completed, some of the summer courses have already begun for some of the children and are temporally being held on the premises of an adjoining restaurant.

 

June 2009

Selfhelp support groups

Variety has characterized our work of the last two weeks. Changing conditions have forced us to adapt in order to meet different needs. The sudden summer that came after an extended winter, for example, caused us to move the children’s activities in the evenings, as the large communal tents were too hot during the day. So our days were filled with other activities, like helping with schooling children, visiting and assisting individual people, plus something we haven’t written about yet, holding small groups’ meetings.

 

Almost half of the earthquake affected people are hosted in hotels. Many have chosen these accommodations instead of the camps because of health problems, having small children, or similar reasons. Although this may appear a better choice than a tent in a camp, in some ways it has been harder. Those who stayed in the tents were near their towns and with people they knew.

 

 

Stefania, in the photo with Francesco and Maria, is a trained counselor with whom we work listening and comforting people. She brings her professional training, while we add the elements of faith and prayer, and together we make a great team.

 

Twenty years’ old Rosella shared her heart wrenching story. After battling for years with cancer she had just come out of the hospital on a wheel chair, when the earthquake hit. She and her family lost everything, but the positiveness with which she recounted her story was awe inspiring. She had learned to fight through adversity and to see the good in everything. Her courage, faith and hope taught everyone a great lesson on life.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Continued tremors impede return to normality

On June 22nd the earth shook again, causing further damage to already weakened buildings. Thankfully no one got hurt. The main setback was their attempt to return to a normal life. Many, whose houses had been deemed livable, had started returning to them, but this last tremor drove them back their tents. Some even left their tents to sleep in cars again.

Many believe there are worse tremors yet to come and in spite of reassurance from experts,the continuous tremors do not facilitate a return to normality

One day there were 13 tremors and the average since June 22nd is about 10 tremors a day. See link: http://cnt.rm.ingv.it/

Our work continues and the need for personal counseling has especially been increasing. So many want a listening ear, a prayer, encouragement and plain practical friendship. Besides the counselling we have also worked hard moving tents, leveling ground, draining water after the rain, running errands, cooking, cleaning, etc.

We are also continuing our activities with the children during the day, and organize activities in the evening with the adults. Extended camp life and uncertainty about the future makes the need to bolster morale even greater.Please pray for strength and endurance for the victims of the earthquake as well as for us. The demand is great and we are few.

May 2009

Challenges of camp life and cold weather

 

When a month ago 60.000 people became homeless, every family was promptly supplied with basic necessities and a tent to live in. Now there are camps all around the city of Aquila, and next to every town and village for miles around. This mountainous region, with snow laden peaks, is usually cold at this time of year but lately the weather has been extra severe. This has put an added load on the already weakened morale of the people, as well as on their health, especially that of small children and the elderly. Perhaps, from the protection of their houses people didn’t noticed before how cold it could still be in April and May. Now it is a definite, palpable challenge, as they struggle daily to preserve what’s left of their lives.

Morale is an important factor in such a situation, and even volunteers like us, as well as other service personnel, struggled to keep afloat, to stay positive and upbeat in order to help others. Everyone needs moments in which to forget the rain, the mud, the cold and sleepless nights, to be able to release tension and rebuild strength. These are the moments we continued to create from camp to camp, sometimes from morning till late in the night. Getting children and adults alike to play, sing and dance together has been almost magical. Sometimes it takes effort to defy the pervading gloom and create a happy occasion. Other times it takes no effort at all, as the desire to laugh in spite of it all is so strong that it only takes a few musical notes to draw everyone out of their tents.

 

 

 

In some camps tensions had developed amongst some of the residents, in others the children displayed behavioral problems - a mixed reaction to fear and life without boundaries outside of home and family. Parents find it hard to maintain the unity of their family in a situation where so much is outside of their control. The sense of community and the support of others are so important at this time, and we have seen some wonderful examples of it. We do all we can to bring people together and there is nothing like caring for their children, music, dancing and playing together to erase barriers and restore hope and a feeling of belonging.

 

 

Birthday fun

 

Another week passed, as we moved from camp to camp helping children and grown-ups alike to spend some good times together. We had a strong ally this week, the sun, which came out to dry the mud and brightened things up for everyone. When living in tents the weather sure is a major factor. Other highlights of the week were two camps who called us to organize birthday celebrations for some of their resident children.

There is nothing like a birthday to bring everyone together and make a child feel special. It’s strange but a camp can actually become an occasion for a community to come closer together and when they do, even for a child’s birthday, it is very heart warming to see. You kind of know that this experience, the solidarity, the working together to make their children forget the earthquake, will go a long way in helping them to rebuild, not only their houses, but their communities as well.

Creating this same kind of cooperation is a much greater challenge in the bigger camps in the city, where people are less connected to one another. Please pray for this, as this week we’ll be focusing on some very needy situations.

 

 

April 2009

 

Emotional Healing Program starts...

As the days went by materials and personnel flooded in abundance but the one area that remained seriously understaffed was the care of children. Family volunteers are now trying to make daily life appear as normal as possible to the children. For a few hours each day they are able to make their camp life resemble a vacation rather than a disaster situation. It doesn’t take much to make the children forget their tears and smile again, and once they do the parents are lifted and encouraged as well.

At this point the first teams from other family Homes in Italy arrived and we began presenting daily events in the camps, such as clowns, games, activities, going tent to tent encouraging and praying with people, musical events for adults and more. The response has been the same everywhere… "Are you coming back tomorrow? Please come back!"

We’ve been having one to three teams daily, going from camp to camp and giving as much as they can, while basing at one of the camps and constantly giving there as well. The need is great and is even increasing as the reality settles that many will be there not just for days but months.

From Santa Rufina to Coppito camp

In the Santa Rufina camp we had done an Easter clown show for the children, which was attended by many adults as well. When we returned the following week, one of the psychologists stationed there commented on the positive effect the event had on everyone. She said that for that whole day people were smiling and had forgotten the tragedy of the earthquake. Along with her colleagues they had been of the opinion that after so much loss and suffering people would not want to laugh, but now she was saying that the opposite was true, that they were asking for more.

 

Until now we had mainly worked with children during the day, but after that we began to propose evening activities for everyone as well. Our first was in Coppito, in the main dining tent. We started with music while people were eating, then karaoke, children dance contest, High School Musical show, other children contests with prices, then more karaoke and dancing until late. Nobody wanted to leave and we were exhausted, but they were happy so we were happy.

“It was one of the most beautiful evenings of my life. a young woman in the Coppito camp

 

“It was certainly an unforgettable evening, which helped to alleviate the discomfort there is in this particular situation. Your intervention and support towards the people in the camp has been greatly appreciated… thank you for coming and for what you have done for the children and for the people of this territory affected by this tragedy.   an officer from the Protezione Civile

 

Two weeks have now passed and already we see a weakening of the solidarity that was at first displayed. As usual when a tragedy hits there is an immediate response but then people get used to it and gradually forget - except for those living in tents. As a red cross officer told us at the start, “Now there is plenty of everything, but wait 15 days, until the news will stop talking about it and then you’ll really be needed”. That was his advice to us and we certainly see it happening now. Having started a good work we cannot leave it undone but now comes the challenge of organizing and financing it.

Our volunteers have so far covered their own travel expenses and other costs for being there. They will not be able to continue their efforts for long without sponsorship and additional help.

6 April 2009

 

The Family's initial response

A Family community in Pescara is situated not far from the epicentre of the quake, and many of their precious friends are from L'Aquila. Thankfully they all survived.Some were miraculously spared, like a family who testified how “the Lord clearly told them to leave the city because something dreadful was going to happen on Palm Sunday”. They did so and moved to some friends wooden cabin in the mountains and on the day the Lord had warned them about their whole neighbourhood was destroyed. Now, along with their friends, they have turned the mountain resort into a refuge for others as well.

From the beginning the Family in Pescara has volunteered their service to the organizations coordinating relief efforts. At first they were asked to wait in order to allow first aid teams to carry out search for possible survivors unobstructed. As soon as they were given the green light, they immediately went to work unloading truckloads of supplies, setting up tents for the many who had until then been trying to sleep in their cars.

 

Official relief services have acted promptly and efficiently, giving everyone shelter, food and other basic necessities. It will take a long time, however, for life to return to normal in that part of Italy. Some have lost loves ones, others their houses but even they who still have their house are afraid to return to it. Another area was that of helping people in general to deal emotionally and spiritually with the aftermath of the tragedy.

The memory of that night is still vivid and the daily tremors didn't make the situation easier. Many haven’t had a proper night sleep in a long time. Each in his own way is trying to come to terms with what has happened. It was in this setting that the first teams of Family volunteers sprang into action and they are now working daily in the different camps.

 

A prayer

 

Dear Lord, we pray for the precious people who have lost their homes and livelihood in the earthquake, please comfort and encourage young and old. We also pray for the volunteers who are now taking their program to the other camps, there are so many in need and they are so few. Many are battling with sickness due to the cold and rain of the last days. We do pray for the strength and health of all the people affected by this disaster, for the volunteers and the service personnel, many of whom have also been going non-stop for many days. Give them all the stamina, love and hope to carry on. Amen.

The Lord will give strength unto his people; the Lord will bless his people with peace. - Psalms 29:11