Earthquake damage in Dom village
For more than 27 years Jim and Judy Burdett’s houses in Papua New Guinea have ridden out dozens of earthquakes and tremors with no problems, but their current house which was built in 1998 didn’t make it through the latest quake.
The Burdetts, who are currently on home assignment, received word that their house among the Dom people was damaged in an earthquake on Sunday.
Will Tallman who works in the neighboring Kuman tribe went to check out the damage. He found that the road into the village was impassable and that the house and garage were knocked from their supports. The house shifted about five feet and now sits "on the ground like a beached whale," the Burdetts wrote.
Jim and Judy don’t know what damage was done inside the house as Will was unable to check that. The garage, thrown ten feet downhill and twisted sideways, is basically ruined.
The house of a former partner, that is now the home of the land owner, slid over an embankment.
The property around the village is badly buckled and many of the Dom people also lost their homes. The quake which followed months of relentless rain also caused gardens to slide downhill.
The rain continues to be a problem and will hamper the clean up and repair that needs to be done.
The people "are all in collective shock," the Burdetts wrote, "scared and wondering what to do next. How we wish we were there to help them."
Looting is now a concern. "Like everywhere else on earth we have people who will vandalize and loot if given the opportunity," the Burdetts wrote. "We will just rest our hearts in the Lord and leave those concerns to Him."
"We are so very thankful that no one was hurt or killed in this. We are thankful too for our fellow missionaries that went out of their way and quickly got out there to inspect and do whatever they could to help."
Please pray for wisdom and direction for the Burdetts as they wait for further word about what to do next.
The Burdetts, who are currently on home assignment, received word that their house among the Dom people was damaged in an earthquake on Sunday.
Will Tallman who works in the neighboring Kuman tribe went to check out the damage. He found that the road into the village was impassable and that the house and garage were knocked from their supports. The house shifted about five feet and now sits "on the ground like a beached whale," the Burdetts wrote.
Jim and Judy don’t know what damage was done inside the house as Will was unable to check that. The garage, thrown ten feet downhill and twisted sideways, is basically ruined.
The house of a former partner, that is now the home of the land owner, slid over an embankment.
The property around the village is badly buckled and many of the Dom people also lost their homes. The quake which followed months of relentless rain also caused gardens to slide downhill.
The rain continues to be a problem and will hamper the clean up and repair that needs to be done.
The people "are all in collective shock," the Burdetts wrote, "scared and wondering what to do next. How we wish we were there to help them."
Looting is now a concern. "Like everywhere else on earth we have people who will vandalize and loot if given the opportunity," the Burdetts wrote. "We will just rest our hearts in the Lord and leave those concerns to Him."
"We are so very thankful that no one was hurt or killed in this. We are thankful too for our fellow missionaries that went out of their way and quickly got out there to inspect and do whatever they could to help."
Please pray for wisdom and direction for the Burdetts as they wait for further word about what to do next.