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Hurricane Ike Made Landfall in Cuba

NEWS RELEASE: October 6, 2008
FUM Accepting Money for Cuba Relief

Hurricane Ike washed over Cuba in early September wreaking havoc on homes and buildings throughout the island. Repairs are underway, but the cost is high. The demand for food and supplies is great because much damage was sustained. With very little building material to be had on the island, supplies must be imported, increasing the cost. The U.S. government has opened the door for Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) to apply for licenses to take money to Cuba for humanitarian aid, and FUM has done just that. We have the license to carry up to $75,000 for food, medicine and building relief for the meetinghouses and pastoral houses in Cuba. Our Cuba work team leaves in January to work on reconstruction of one of the damaged buildings, and we will be carrying all the money we have received to date.

If you would like to make a donation, make checks payable to Friends United Meeting, 101 Quaker Hill Dr., Richmond, IN 47374. Please put "Cuba Relief" in the memo section of the check. Or, you can make your donation online at the contributions page.

Maria Yi, Pastor of Holguin, says the devastation is great in Cuba:

"In Holguin, the church lost the roof and the pastor's house suffered heavy damages. The church doors in Gibara flew off and there is extensive damage inside as well as to the pastor's house. God was with them during the storm as they all took shelter in the new building. It is rumored that in Puerto Padre the roof caved in, but she has not been able to confirm this. She's trying to get in contact with Banes, Puerto Padre, Velasco, Delicias, etc., but the phone lines are down and she cannot get any information, but thinks there is extensive damage on all. There's no electricity, water is off, and food is not to be found. She said she finally found a store that was open last night and bought the last three chicken broth cubes in the store. She told me that the government stated they would not help any religious institution in making repairs. The good news is that everyone is fine and now it is our turn to help them rebuild. I don't know how but I know we will."

Ruthanna Vallejo (Ramon Gonzales' cousin who is Clerk of Cuba Yearly Meeting and living in Gibara) sends news of Cuba and Hurricane Ike:

"Hurricane Ike made landfall in Gibara, Cuba last night. My last communication with them was at 8 p.m. There is no way to contact them as the phone lines are down. However, I was able to talk to my aunt Eirena, who lives in Moa and she told me of the devastation around her town. She has been unable to reach Gibara and she told me that her last conversation with them was around 1 a.m. this morning. She said that the ocean rushed into the city near the place where the boat that ran aground is situated and that the winds were fierce at that time. The people in that area were evacuated and brought to the church in Gibara. Please keep them in your prayers and hope we hear from them soon. Thanks."

"My phone doesn't stop ringing with people wanting to know. We have not been able to reach anyone but pray they are O.K. We do know that the church in Holguin roof caved in and Puerto Padre has serious damage as well as the roof. Until we have communication with Gibara we won't know what kind of damage they have, all we know is that a lot of people were evacuated from their homes and went to the church in Gibara for safety."