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Letter from Hazel (Superior General) about the TSUNAMI
Paris, 6 January 2005
My dear Sisters,
Hardly had the bells of Christmas rung their joyful strains of peace and good will when on the morning of December 26, the tsunami struck the countries of South Asia, even up to the eastern coast of Africa. The fury of nature inundated and lashed the shores of Indonesia, Thailand, Sri Lanka, India and to a lesser degree the Maldive Islands, Malaysia, Bangladesh. Yes, the planet is in mourning. The newspapers and television give us accounts of the tragic situation that exists in the countries most affected in the Bay of Bengal. Our eyes close in horror and our hearts are wrenched with the immensity of the suffering.
Here are a few extracts of letters received from the South of India where our sisters work:
"The tsunami has devastated everything except the Velankanni church. Bodies were strewn across the roads and the survivors became refugees in their own land. Shops and buildings were destroyed. The place became unnaturally quiet as volunteers busied themselves in rescue operations. There were no heart-rending cries of sorrow to be heard. 'There is no one to cry. Those who survived left for safer places', said a volunteer. 'How can we trust this sea again?' said a fisherman who managed to survive.
Hundreds of shops near the church were reduced to rubble. The dead did not even get a decent burial. Official aid took its time to reach. When the stench increased, voluntary organisations stepped in and arranged for mass burials. Bodies in numbers of about 50 were bundled together and buried in pits. Bodies seemed to pour in from everywhere, from buildings, shops, vehiclesc the waves constantly washing bodies ashore.
Many, many schools have been completely washed away. A secondary school student was inconsolable: 'I stood first in my school-leaving examination. Now I have lost my certificates, books, everything. What will I do when I go back after 10 days? Will they take me again?' she wept.
Health, education, much psychological help are the great needs. It will take years to get the people and villages back to normal functioning. With the abundance of dead bodies and rotting fish, there is danger of disease breaking out. The water from wells is polluted. Housing, sanitation, food, drinking water, fishing boats are the immediate needs that call for attention.
The President of India has called upon every well-to-do Indian family to adopt one or more of the individuals affected to guide and help them find their feet again. Many children have been left orphaned. It is thus hoped that we could create a 'peoples' movement' -a movement of the people, by the people and for the people.
Our sisters have joined other religious congregations to help in the immediate situation. One of our sisters, a doctor will be going with a medical team to Nagapattinam, the worst affected area in Tamil Nadu (one of the states in South India). The sisters of the community of Allepey (Kerala) are close to the shore and were advised to shift elsewhere but they prefer to stay with the people who are frightened and come to spend the night in our house. Both at Chennai and Allepey, families especially women and children are being sheltered with us."
Many have been the phone-calls, cards, letters, e-mails that I have received from our sisters all over the world expressing concern, solidarity and eagerness to offer some financial assistance -as a sign of their participation in this great situation of helplessness and need. From all over the world we see wonderful signs of the fellowship of humanity in the generous gestures that pour from the hearts of nations and people in every walk of life.
May we be attentive to the deep stirrings of our hearts and the voice of the Spirit that speaks to us of God and His Will through such events. The gestures of fraternal concern transcend the boundaries of continent and colour, belief and culture. The deep needs of the human heart are universal and such calamities open the doors of our own being to the hopes and anxieties, the grief and sorrow of our sisters and brothers all over the Earth. It is indeed, our planet which is in mourning and which calls to us.
With regard to a plan of action, I have been told to wait till the needs have been assessed so that long term plans may be made with definite goals in view. In such situations, there is a lot of enthusiasm to help in the beginning but a sustained effort must be continued to enable people to find their way in life once again. Housing, education, professional re-education, counselling and community building will be among our priorities of action for the future.
If you wish to make a contribution you may send it to Paris under the name of Cice-Entraide specifying however that it be used for the victims of the South Asian tragedy, and keeping me informed.
I have heard the cry of my peoplec let this sensibility urge us to join in prayer that hearts may be healed as the mystery of God's plan is gradually revealed. May Fr.
De Cloriviere whose feast we celebrate help us to be 'the praying presence of Mary' on behalf of all Humanity.
In the Heart of Mary,
Hazel D'Lima
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