Day of Planning in Cebu

The reality of the conditions in the aftermath of Yolanda is setting in across the nation. The situation grows worse on Leyte as time goes on. After four days without food, water or significant relief efforts, it devolved into basic anarchy today. The President is reportedly considering the imposition of martial law. Given the country’s background, that news is received with mixed feelings. However, with the circumstances as they are, it appears the country would accept it as the best option available at this time.

We had our trip canceled to Ormoc today as transportation schedules are changing without notice. Computer systems are down making ticket purchasing almost impossible. Long lines are present to buy whatever tickets are available on site and the modes of transportation themselves are not very dependable. It is being reported that the international news media is coming to Cebu and buying up tickets on the fastcrafts and ferries to Leyte because that is the only way in right now. All airline service into Tacloban is suspended indefinitely.

Since we did not go to Ormoc today, we used the time to prepare for the delivery of funds to brethren on Leyte after we return from Masbate. Jonathan and I have both been moved by the generous outpouring of brethren on this mailing list. Funds are being sent via MoneyGram that will enable us to help brethren who have nothing at this point. We are in contact with brethren in Tacloban where the situation is dire beyond belief and we are able to transfer smaller amounts in several ways making it possible for them to have some food and water for the next few days. Finding food to buy there is now becoming a problem by all accounts and we may need to buy rice here and find a means of transport to get it to them. We will be trying to work that out over the next few days. Right now, logistics are keeping us (especially Jonathan) busy as daily commerce and transportation are a nightmare. Every time we think we have found a way around problems, new ones crop up. As the day wore on, we began to focus on a couple of ways we believe the problems of getting food to the brethren can be resolved.

The Lord willing, tomorrow (Tuesday) we will go to Masbate Island for the rescheduled lectures there. Those studies will end on Wednesday night. We fly out on a 6:00am flight tomorrow and come back to Cebu at 7:45am on Thursday. We have tickets in hand to go to Ormoc at 11am on Thursday, stay the night wherever possible and hopefully come back on Friday night to Cebu. I say "hopefully" because we cannot confirm tickets due to computer systems being down and schedules being unsure. However, I do not have to fly to Manila until Saturday, so we have an extra day to fall back on should departure be impossible on Friday.

Since it will be Thursday before we can start to distribute the benevolence on Leyte where need is the greatest, the funds already committed for sending via MoneyGram should be available before we leave from Cebu going to Leyte on Friday. The need here is so enormous that we have had to focus on meeting immediate needs for survival at this time and leave longer term efforts of rebuilding and other needs to be met at a later date. My plan is too also bring a bag of first-aid and sanitation supplies with us to Leyte. With the massive death toll and release of open sewage from the floods, the danger of disease taking another large toll is a very real and present danger. From what we hear, our brethren are in great need of such supplies.

To give you a sense of the enormity of the disaster, the major international rescue and relief organizations were saying the death toll may exceed 10,000! There is some speculation that number may be very low and may go much higher. The Philippine government said just yesterday that the number might exceed 1200. In other words, no one knows the magnitude of this disaster at this point, but time a new area receiving a direct hit is surveyed, the numbers keep going up. Today, U.S. military helicopters and air support began an aerial assessment of the damage and they are saying the damage is unprecedented. One of the crews likened it to an F4 or F5 tornado, except it is 100 miles wide and several hundred miles long. There are hundreds of small, inhabited islands that the full force of the storm impacted. Each one presents a new challenge to reach, assess and get relief efforts going.

In our travels yesterday, we did not see a single national Philippine government vehicle or relief effort of any kind, nor did we see any international relief organization presence. If what we saw was the lesser problem compared to other places, I shudder to think what the situation is in such places. When people in the streets of Bogo saw me as a white American, it was obvious that they were looking at me in hopes that I would help. I don't know if I will ever be able to forget the utter helplessness I felt on that occasion to see so many people in such dire need, looking for help, yet knowing that I had no way to help. Our brethren now have food to eat for several weeks, the masses of humanity I saw have nothing and no hope in sight. May God in His providence make a way to ease the tremendous suffering of these very poor and hopeless people -- ultimately bringing them to seek for a way of hope that leaves the calamities of this life to forever rejoice in a heavenly hope that knows no sorrow and no end! God bless!