How to Help Cuba

The shelves at the food market in Buenavista (pop. 3,000) are empty. Gasoline to go find food somewhere is scarce. Electricity is out and no sure when it will be restored. Many people are affected with conjunctivitis (pink eye) not really sure if it is bacterial, viral, or because of allergies. 

Remedios (pop 30,000) is working on finding food to feed the most disabled in the town and using a generator to help people to charge their cell phones.

These two towns are less than 10 miles from the north coast of Cuba where Irma landed as a Cat 5 hurricane.

Your donation will go 100% to help the small towns in the area get food and other needed things. It will be channeled through the church leaders who know their community and how best to help and we will have accountability through their activities.

To donate go to www.svccchurch.com/give  and 

select Cuba Mission from the drop-down menu.

Food Store in Buenavista.  Empty and a damaged roof

The woman in the back is Arelys.  Her house lost half the roof and she has conjunctivitis (pink eye)

Bus station in Buenavista.  Just a sample of the destruction of Irma's wind and rain.

Remedios after Hurricane Irma

To donate for relief for Remedios and Buenavista go to 

www.svccchurch.com/give 

and select Cuba Mission fro the pull-down menu

100% of your donation will go directly to the relief of the community in these towns

Raul Martinez de Villa, from Remedios, sent us these photos tonight (Sept 11). He also sent an audio voice message. Raul is part of the church in Remedios and our translator during the mission trips.

Raul is physically OK, but sounds tired. People are in shock over the damage in town. 

They do not expect to have electricity for 1 to 4 weeks, so food and water are big issues. Water is a problem because they use pumps to pull water from the well.  Without water they cannot even flush toilets.

Hurricane force was so strong that it ripped the lock off his the front door and he and his wife had to hold the door shut for 3 hours. 

Damage in his house could have been worse. Cracked window panes, but not broken. No flooding. Lost some tile roofs so now he has a leaky roof.

Pray for their continued safety, for clarity in their thinking to solve their problems, for peace in the middle of the storm

Mangled roof on the third floor of the church.  This is AFTER they worked at straightening it out.  It was mangled.

Part of the roof fell unto the roof of the old building and then to the patio

Uprooted tree in Ivan's back yard.  Ivan is a photographer who is also part of the church in Remedios

Uprooted tree in the park

T

Hurricane Irma - Buenavista

Tree in the back of the church that was ripped off by the hurricane winds.

We received an e-mail today from Pastor Omar in Buenavista. They were very close to the center of the hurricane wind and rain for 2 days. A lot of the homes and stores have been severely damaged. The wind was so strong that most of the trees in the town are gone.

Although the church building was not damaged, it flooded during the hurricane.  They covered the windows with cardboard, which was all they had.  But the wind blew the cardboard off and rain came in.  It came in through the windows, the electric outlets and the ceiling lights.

They used the church building as shelter for many and are sharing whatever food they have.

People are distraught and without resources. Food was not delivered before the hurricane, so their food supply is low.   They did not receive the eggs that were given to other locations.  The bakery was destroyed by the hurricane, so there is no bread either.

There is no electricity and they have no idea when it will be restored   It could be a month.  Without electricity they cannot pump in water or cook meals. So there is no water to flush toilets or water to drink.

 In the whole town there is one generator at the medical clinic.  The clinic allows people very limited access to their generator to charge cell phones.

We ask for your prayers for the people in Cuba affected by the hurricane.  They do not have the resources we have in the U.S.  Pray for their safety, clarity of mind to make decisions and know what to do, and God's help to them to find their daily sustenance.

They need our help. 

Donate now.  100% of your donation will go directly to the churches to help the community.
Go to  www.svccchurch.com/give and select "CUBA MISSION" for drop-down menu.