ENVELOPING THE WORLD WITH GREAT LOVE

From late November through December 1999, it rained in what was normally the dry season in Venezuela. At around ten in the evening of December 15, mountain floods caused by heavy, continuous rainfall induced massive landslides and mudflows. The mudflows destroyed the homes of tens of thousands of people and caused countless deaths-some reports say five thousand, some say thirty thousand. The death toll may never be known.

It was the worst natural disaster to hit Venezuela in a century. In the worst-hit state of Vargas, large trees, rocks and mud sped down with the mountain floods, burying residents at the bottom of the mountain or washing them into the sea. Over a hundred thousand people stayed in temporary shelters set up by the government or charity organizations.

In January 2000, a fact-finding team of five US Tzu Chi members traveled through Vargas for four days. They donated antipyretic, painkillers, gastrointestinal medicine, antibiotics and vitamins at numerous shelters. They also conducted an evaluation of the actual needs for water purification equipment, large tents and heavy machinery.

On January 26, a second fact-finding team, including two water purification specialists, arrived in Caracas, the national capital. The water supply system in the disaster area had been damaged, and although organizations from the United States, Germany and France were providing clean water, it was not enough to meet the demands of the extensive disaster area. Most victims still drank directly from the river.

After evaluation, Tzu Chi reached the decision to donate mobile water purification equipment to hard-hit Naiguata, on the Caribbean coast. A specialist was sent to the city to help operate the machine, which produced five hundred tons of clean water daily.

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