I have found a full time job. I'm working for the residents of the Old Folks Home, El Cobijo to help them eat and go on with their lives. I feel happier than I have in a long time because I'm doing something that gives me great satisfaction. My background is in the helping field but the political aspects never agreed with me so I moved on, sadly. I'm opening a PayPal account right now and taking donations of food and clothing from my neighbors. There's a lot of work to do in our town. Everyone is in help mode right now, but this intense need by the people will go on for months. Everyone is willing to give time and money now, but it's the long term commitment that is worrisome.
The residents of El Cobijo are safe and sound at the Ladies Retirement Home in Guaymas. That's where they were taken as the water was rising to the roof of their home in San Jose. They only have two dormitory rooms there but it is clean and in a beautiful setting run by the Catholic Sisters. Can you imagine being 90+ years old, sick and pushed up a ladder to a roof during a raging hurricane with water rising all around you? Martin has been working each and every day to help the town of San Carlos, San Jose de Guaymas and Guaymas itself. The ladder is pictured above; yes the rickety wooden ladder.
By the way, I have visited the men and they are happy, clean and well fed. They love every single visitor. They are well loved by the ladies that take care of them and they crave human contact. Even though we have somewhat of a language barrier, the feelings are there and it's heartwarming. Why wouldn't I want to be involved in something like this? It's the most rewarding thing ever.
A friend of mine; a restauranteur and coffee maker here in San Carlos is working hard each day and night to help everyone and he has written the following story of El Cobijo. I think it captures the feeling of what is going on here. This is Martin's beautiful story:
I was yesterday at the Shelter Cobijo de San Jose de Guaymas.
I stop in my journey with shocking scenes of destroyed houses, was very sad and bitter see people taking their cars from the mud, and trying to find in the mud and dirt might find something, which was very sad to see that reality of that pile of mud and earth could be seen at a glance that nothing can be rescued, too many people were left homeless, with no furniture, no clothes and even worse than that without water to drink or something to eat, all with little effort and hard work had done so before the storm "Jimena" on that day than anyone expected, and nobody was afraid of the tremendous damage "Jimena" would leave in its wake, September 3, 2009 will be for all Residents of San Jose de Guaymas, Salvation, Empalme, Buenos Aires, Santa Clara, Ranchitos, Guaymas and many other nearby suburbs will be bitterly remembered by all.
Today, a record by the storm that struck in 1948 to Guaymas which was of 348 mm was exceeded with more than double for "Jimena" reaching the 711 mm.
In this sad story I met Fernando and Jose who cleaned up gradually inside of this building “El Cobijo of San Jose” told me the Odyssey who lived in person during this storm, "Jimena". They had too windy and raining in torrents and when they heard the sound of water coming toward his community people began to leave their homes and get on “El Cobijo of San Jose” roof. José has to hurry and start helping the elderly to climb the ceiling by a wooden staircase which was made right there with loose boards that had to see in the photos down below. In the mine time by curiosity Fernando went to the vicinity of the creek to check how big it was growing but apparently he fail to cross back and had to stay on the other side, hampering the work for Joseph to climb the ladder elders one by one.
Then we started to get people to seek refuge at “El Cobijo of San Jose” and these people helped Joseph to go to the elders at the ceiling. The water level rose steadily and people already in the roof of “El Cobijo of San Jose” from the ceiling began to see with sadness that the beds, dishes, clothes all the little they had was taken from his house and dragged by the water, this happen also to“El Cobijo of San Jose” lost everything and the same had been happening in every house in San Jose and “La Salvacion”, the streams growing by the minute, then at that time the most important thing was to save the lives of their loved ones any cost.
José mentioned that he saw a family that became trapped on the roof of his house and the water level was exceeded the level of the roof of their house and Jose had to break a copper tube for use as a means of rope and save them, thanks to this a lot of people were saved. Very strong winds knocked down electricity pylons and in total darkness were on the roof. The heavy rain and icy winds haunted by the lives of their young children, they have to break two of the four water tanks of asbestos with stones and bricks by a side and make a hole to put the children and thus could be protected by the impetuous of bad weather, rain and down winds that never before had felt, heart-wrenching moments, were alone in solitary confinement, without light, without telephones, cell phones had no signal left is whether his own fate.
But God is great and never abandoned even in total darkness were never lost hope or gave up, it was time to be together and support each other it was time to pray and ask our Our Father God to protect them and wanted to finish the rain, anguish heard the roar of cows, deer, horses and dogs washed away and the unfortunate animals who desperately fought for their lives.
They realized that there was nothing to do, only in wait until the storm ended, were hours of anguish never before seen anything like this, from Wednesday 2 September, rain beginning at 6 pm and end the day Friday at 6 am. A tremendous amount of water that fell incessantly for 36 hours 711 mm. more than twice what it rained in 1948.
The secret things belong to God our Father. Which unites us like brothers now to support what we are, that is our God the Father who loves to see, that we love each other and give thanks to all who have come together for this noble cause. What we have seen is actually a word that if we love, that if we want and we can do much, much more together one with another. Let us well.
God Bless you today and always. I love them all!
NOTE:
If something is left over at home please donate to the victims of these affected areas will not be wasted slush.
They need your donation, you can support them with:
Clothing, footwear, blankets, pillows, mattresses, cupboards, food, china, kitchenware, cleaning supplies, toiletries, refrigerators, stoves, tables, chairs, beds, wheelchairs, adult diapers, disposable, signs signaling, one UHF radio, medicine, and all you can donate.
Jose, Fernando and the director of “El Cobijo de San Jose” LuZ Acosta (Cellphone: 6221234910) We thank you very much.
I stop in my journey with shocking scenes of destroyed houses, was very sad and bitter see people taking their cars from the mud, and trying to find in the mud and dirt might find something, which was very sad to see that reality of that pile of mud and earth could be seen at a glance that nothing can be rescued, too many people were left homeless, with no furniture, no clothes and even worse than that without water to drink or something to eat, all with little effort and hard work had done so before the storm "Jimena" on that day than anyone expected, and nobody was afraid of the tremendous damage "Jimena" would leave in its wake, September 3, 2009 will be for all Residents of San Jose de Guaymas, Salvation, Empalme, Buenos Aires, Santa Clara, Ranchitos, Guaymas and many other nearby suburbs will be bitterly remembered by all.
Today, a record by the storm that struck in 1948 to Guaymas which was of 348 mm was exceeded with more than double for "Jimena" reaching the 711 mm.
In this sad story I met Fernando and Jose who cleaned up gradually inside of this building “El Cobijo of San Jose” told me the Odyssey who lived in person during this storm, "Jimena". They had too windy and raining in torrents and when they heard the sound of water coming toward his community people began to leave their homes and get on “El Cobijo of San Jose” roof. José has to hurry and start helping the elderly to climb the ceiling by a wooden staircase which was made right there with loose boards that had to see in the photos down below. In the mine time by curiosity Fernando went to the vicinity of the creek to check how big it was growing but apparently he fail to cross back and had to stay on the other side, hampering the work for Joseph to climb the ladder elders one by one.
Then we started to get people to seek refuge at “El Cobijo of San Jose” and these people helped Joseph to go to the elders at the ceiling. The water level rose steadily and people already in the roof of “El Cobijo of San Jose” from the ceiling began to see with sadness that the beds, dishes, clothes all the little they had was taken from his house and dragged by the water, this happen also to“El Cobijo of San Jose” lost everything and the same had been happening in every house in San Jose and “La Salvacion”, the streams growing by the minute, then at that time the most important thing was to save the lives of their loved ones any cost.
José mentioned that he saw a family that became trapped on the roof of his house and the water level was exceeded the level of the roof of their house and Jose had to break a copper tube for use as a means of rope and save them, thanks to this a lot of people were saved. Very strong winds knocked down electricity pylons and in total darkness were on the roof. The heavy rain and icy winds haunted by the lives of their young children, they have to break two of the four water tanks of asbestos with stones and bricks by a side and make a hole to put the children and thus could be protected by the impetuous of bad weather, rain and down winds that never before had felt, heart-wrenching moments, were alone in solitary confinement, without light, without telephones, cell phones had no signal left is whether his own fate.
But God is great and never abandoned even in total darkness were never lost hope or gave up, it was time to be together and support each other it was time to pray and ask our Our Father God to protect them and wanted to finish the rain, anguish heard the roar of cows, deer, horses and dogs washed away and the unfortunate animals who desperately fought for their lives.
They realized that there was nothing to do, only in wait until the storm ended, were hours of anguish never before seen anything like this, from Wednesday 2 September, rain beginning at 6 pm and end the day Friday at 6 am. A tremendous amount of water that fell incessantly for 36 hours 711 mm. more than twice what it rained in 1948.
The secret things belong to God our Father. Which unites us like brothers now to support what we are, that is our God the Father who loves to see, that we love each other and give thanks to all who have come together for this noble cause. What we have seen is actually a word that if we love, that if we want and we can do much, much more together one with another. Let us well.
God Bless you today and always. I love them all!
NOTE:
If something is left over at home please donate to the victims of these affected areas will not be wasted slush.
They need your donation, you can support them with:
Clothing, footwear, blankets, pillows, mattresses, cupboards, food, china, kitchenware, cleaning supplies, toiletries, refrigerators, stoves, tables, chairs, beds, wheelchairs, adult diapers, disposable, signs signaling, one UHF radio, medicine, and all you can donate.
Jose, Fernando and the director of “El Cobijo de San Jose” LuZ Acosta (Cellphone: 6221234910) We thank you very much.
Hey Jan, let me know the pay pal information and Keith and I will absolutly start donating. Let me know what else we can do from here to help.
ReplyDeleteHello, Jan!!!! So great to see you...I planned to get by on Tuesday to see you, but you've beaten me to it!!! I've been in a rush all weekend, and wanted to take time to read and leave you a nice long note...Tuesday was my best bet...Best laid plans, huh? I'm happy to be here now as I got to read this wonderful post!!It's late where I am, but I wanted to let you know how very glad I am to see you, and to hear all that you have been doing!!! What a privilege it must be to be involved in helping so many!!! What heartache and devastation they are facing...but you are their angel...And you are an inspiration to all of us!!! Thank you so much for sharing, and for being such a really compassionate and caring person! I am honored to call you friend!!! ~Janine XO
ReplyDeletejan, has anyone had contact witht he Rotary Club that did the work on this place? I am sure they can raise money to re-build. I was in Rotary for years.
ReplyDelete