Pozo Colorado, 8 May 2019
The Holy Will of God
Dear Sisters,
Greetings. We are sure that you are aware of the difficulty we have had : the floods because of the rains that have hit the ‘Chaco’ since March and April and which continues fall.
Sunday, May 5 at dawn, the waters quickly began to infiltrate the school and the children’s boarding, flooding everything. Brother Aníbal Caballero, director of the institution, called Radio Pai Puku to inform parents of the situation and asked them to come to the school as soon as possible to pick up their children. Fortunately, that day, about 220 children were able to leave without major difficulties. Sunday afternoon, there were only 61 students left. The water level continued to rise as concern and anxiety gripped these children. The sisters and teachers stayed with the children to reassure them.
Father Anibal, all the school officials and soldiers of the armed forces have worked tirelessly to try to open the internal route of the Trans Chaco road to the school, so that the water circulates faster and we can prevent the rupture of the retaining wall that runs along part of the site. They cut off the main route, which isolated the school, but it was the only way out of the terrible danger. After that, the remaining children were removed by walking through the body of water that covered their knees and the smaller ones were carried to cross the current.
On Monday, May 6, other parents were able to go to the school to pick up their children. That day, 20 children left. This happened again on Tuesday but the absence of the road aggravated the situation. At this point there were still 12 children and it was thought that their families would pick them up during the day.
Thank God, the sisters are okay. We support each other and do what is humanly possible. The girls’ boarding school and our house are higher so the water has not entered yet, but it surrounds us and yesterday it started to enter our backyard, but it stayed there ...
Unfortunately, the situation is similar in almost all the Chaco, with lots of water, impassable roads, drowning animals, and lost crops ...
We hope that the weather will improve in the next few days and that the waters will recede, but it will take a month or more for the school to be able to receive the children again.
We are certain that Saint Joseph, the Blessed Virgin of Caacupé, the Blessed Mother and Blessed Chiquitunga will protect us from all danger and all evil.
We rely on the prayer of all the Sisters of the Congregation.
United in prayer,
Sr Maria Esther Ortiz Florentín
