Columban Fr. Eamon Sheridan shares an update about the terrible flooding in Myanmar:
"Don't You Care, We are Going Down" (Mt 8:25)
At 2 am on Monday morning July 1, 2024, in the Columban Rebirth Rehabilitation Center in Myitkyina in North Eastern Myanmar (formerly Burma), I was awakened by one of our dogs who was sick and was whimpering outside my door. I got up to see how he was and to comfort him. It was pitch dark as the electricity had been switched off early on Sunday morning and hadn’t returned. As I comforted the dog, I heard people shouting the other side of our fence. Trucks seemed to be taking people away. I wondered what was going on. Had the civil war that is all around us finally come to the city? Then the four cows we have came galloping through the football field splashing water as they did so. The water was slowly rising in the field but had not reached any of the buildings. The mighty Irrawaddy had broken its banks. I woke some of the staff and volunteers to catch the cows. They assured me that the water would stop rising even as the torrential rain continued. I went to bed and tried to sleep; the dog had also settled down.
As daybreak broke across Myitkyina and the Rebirth Rehabilitation Center it was clear the flooding was continuing and soon it would enter the buildings. The 90 people in the center sprang into action. The pigs, cows, rabbits, turtle, chickens and dogs were brought to safety. Deep freezer, refrigerator, computers and electrical equipment was raised out of harm’s way. Motorbikes were moved into our office, a place that would offer them some protection. Rice sacks were brought to the second floor. At 10am on Monday the 90 of us retreated to the second floor of three buildings as the water level rose in the center. The Diocese emergency response team brought us food and drinking water twice a day on Monday and Tuesday for which we were very grateful.
Monday night into Tuesday morning was a long night as the torrential rain poured down and the water continued to rise. At about 1:30am I read the Gospel for Mass on Tuesday July 2. It was the passage from Matthew 8:23-27 where Jesus was asleep in the back of the boat while the storm raged, and the disciples thought the boat was sinking. “Don't you care we are going down” they cried out to Jesus. As the rain fell and the water continued to rise, I found myself also crying out to Jesus “don't you care the water is rising.” I felt a peace and calm at that moment and managed to get a few hours’ sleep. When I awoke the rain had eased, and the guys told me the water level was slowly going down. I felt a great sense of relief. This must have been how the disciples felt when Jesus calmed the storm. By late Tuesday evening the water had receded from most of the center, but what remained was a soggy mass of muck and debris. The cleanup began and once again the resilience and effort of the people here was extraordinary. We began to survey the damage. Our fence around the property was damaged and will probably need to be replaced. Our generator was also covered with water and may be beyond repair. The wooden wardrobes in our dormitories were basically destroyed, and some of the desks in our office will need to be replaced.
However, we were all safe and well. People brought us food and fresh water and, in their kindness, I could see that Jesus cared and had kept us calm and united in the face of a very difficult and frightening time. That Tuesday night the heavy weapons started firing again, and we prayed for peace and protection from the escalating war.
Getting everything back to normal will take time but by Thursday our recovery program was back in full swing offering a new life to those caught in the prison of addiction. Please continue to keep us in your prayers.
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