Bishop Gómez Visits Affected Communities

Originally Posted: Wednesday, October 19, 2011

Today, Tuesday (October) the 18th, since the early hours of the morning, Bishop Medardo Gómez, along with an accompaniment team, visited some of the communities affected by the tropical depression that is going on its eighth day of doing damage across the country.

The tour began in the community of Opico in the department of La Libertad, here in the colony of El Milagro of the canton of Agua Escondida, located at the high point of the Palio bridge, on the highway leading from San Salvador to the city of Opico. In the location of "Los Encuentros," the Palio River and the Sucio River come together, and due to the torrential rains, the channels of both rivers overflowed their banks and flooded everything in their path, including some 60 dwellings.

The following was delivered to these families: fortified rice and powdered potatoes with nutritional supplements. Pastor Inez Martínez and sister Maurita Ramos of the “Fe y Amor” Lutheran Church were in charge of facilitating delivery to these families.

Later, they visited the communities of Jayaque, where several shelters have been functioning since last Sunday. Almost all the shelters are located in public schools. The largest of them is in Curazao with 35 families and some 100 people, where there are people sheltered from the communities of Las Graditas, Las Minas, Valle Verde, Curazao, El Dorado, and other communities in the sector.

 

The Lutheran Church, through local pastor Rev. Blanca Irma Rodríguez together with her family, have been accompanying and supporting these families, giving spiritual and moral support, and a small amount of material assistance. During his visit, Bishop Gómez encouraged us to keep the faith and hope in God, the situation will pass soon. At the end a prayer of comfort and hope was said with every one of the groups visited.

In each of these locations, statistical data and needs are already being recorded, in order to be able to support the impending reconstruction. Thanks to the generous support of Rev. Brian Rude, who has facilitated transportation for the mobilization of some of the visits. The visiting delegation was made up of: Bishop Medardo Gómez, Rev. Francisco Aguilar, Rev. Blanca Irma Rodríguez, Rev. Brian Rude and brother José, Pastors Margarita Moreno, Inés Martínez, sisters Laura Verónica Herrera and Maurita Ramos, deacon Efraín Ramos, in charge of communications.