Displaying items by tag: destruction

Although wildfires around Athens have now been brought under control, Greek officials remain on high alert due to the risk of flare-ups caused by high winds and temperatures exceeding 30°C (86°F). Over 100,000 acres of land have been scorched, leading to the death of one woman and dozens of injuries. Thousands of residents were evacuated as flames reached up to 25 metres (82 feet) high. Firefighters continue to douse affected areas, with a strong presence maintained in the region. The government is assessing damage, and assistance has been given by several European countries, including Italy and France. The country’s prime minister, Kyriakos Mitsotakis, returned early from his holiday to address the crisis. Buildings, businesses, and even a school have been destroyed by the fires. Greece has just experienced its hottest June and July on record.

A 6.3 magnitude earthquake has struck western Afghanistan, four days after a series of deadly quakes left at least a thousand people dead. This second earthquake struck an area near Herat early on 10 October. There are conflicting reports about the number of casualties: one spokesperson reported at least 120 injured. It flattened all 700 homes in Chahak village, which was untouched by Saturday’s quakes. Rescue workers and volunteers have been working around the clock to try to dig out survivors and bodies from the ruins of the villages since the weekend. Relief efforts have been hampered by poor infrastructure in the impoverished country, following decades of war and a decline in foreign aid.

Heavy snowstorms have blasted northwest Syria since 18 January. On the 23rd a child froze to death in a refugee camp. By 5 February thousands of displaced residents in 72 camps had frozen water systems and collapsed shelters from blankets of snow, and there are no medical services. Pray for medical supplies, thermal blankets, tarpaulin sheeting, etc. to reach the camps on treacherously slippery, frozen roadways. On 9 February teams began building dirt mounds around the camps to prevent flooding now that it is raining and the snow melting. Nearly 3 million displaced people are living in tents and temporary shelters. Heavy rainfall damaged over 190 displacement sites, destroying and damaging over 10,000 tents. Pray for the freezing families, particularly the children and elderly. Pray for aid agencies distributing food, heaters and clothing while facing severe weather conditions.

The Brumadinho dam disaster in 2019 killed 270 people and caused extensive environmental damage that affected the livelihoods of 944,000 people. Men were brought in to carry out repairs, and violence against women increased at home and outside the home. This was attributed partly to the influx of the new workers and partly to households under pressure when livelihoods collapsed. On the third anniversary of the disaster, women have described the effects on them when drinking-water supplies were destroyed, as well as fisheries and other sources of income. They said that their livelihoods, particularly in agriculture and fishing, had been ‘extinguished’ because of contamination, shortages of water and lack of investment in production. Christian Aid said, ‘Families have been torn apart and the community remains devastated three years on. It is chilling to understand countless women have been subjected to the horrors of gender-based violence.’

An undersea volcano eruption in Tonga on 15 January triggered tsunami waves flooding coastlines from Japan to America. By 20 January volcanic ash had been removed from the runway and the first humanitarian supplies arrived. The aid - water containers, kits for temporary shelters, generators, hygiene supplies and communications equipment - was contactless to ensure Tonga remains free of coronavirus. Limited communication restoration revealed horrendous destruction. Pray for swift and safe clean-up efforts. Australia’s high commissioner said the loss of property had been catastrophic. Along beaches is a moonscape where once beautiful resorts and many, many homes stood. Pray for aid to reach the homeless and for the vulnerable to be relocated to secure places. Pray for the 105,000 people still without any communication to be reconnected and for full internet services to resume sooner than the predicted month. Pray for the missing to be found alive and for the injured to be healed.

Category 4 Hurricane Iota began devastating Nicaragua on 16 November. It is the strongest storm on record to reach Nicaragua ‘We are in the hands of God. If I have to climb up trees, I’ll do it’, said a farmer in Guatemala. ‘We don’t have food, but we are going to wait here for the hurricane that we’re asking God to stop from coming.’ It came. Swollen rivers burst their banks, roofs flipped onto the streets and electricity poles have been downed. In Honduras the mayor of Wampusirpi said, ‘We are flooded everywhere, we need food and water. We lost crops when hurricane Eta struck two weeks ago.’ Pray for the residents of Central America which is still partly flooded, farms destroyed and debris from Eta everywhere. The wind tore the roof off a makeshift hospital. Patients were evacuated, including intensive care and two women giving birth during the first rainstorm.

On 6 July we prayed for those fighting 70 wildfires across California, Colorado, and eastern Canada. By 2 August the California fires had reached ‘uncharted territory’ in what has become an endless summer of flame. Over 1,000 homes were torched in just one of the enormous wildfires that have scorched 320,000 acres, killed, maimed and left whole communities homeless. Pray for those in small close communities struggling to provide disaster relief efforts while also being directly impacted by the disaster themselves. Pray for good communication and networking between churches and aid agencies and those needing shelter, household supplies, food and clothing. Pray for families sheltering in churches, schools, community buildings, etc. after evacuating their homes, who have no idea when they will be able to return home, or if they even still have a home to go to. Pray for communities in shock after fire damage, and for others watching fires advance.

Hawaii's Kilauea volcano is in its 48th day, wreaking havoc with thousands of varying magnitude earthquakes and a lava flow destroying property on its way to the ocean. Guatemala’s Fuego volcano eruptions, which began on 3 June, are different but no less deadly, occasionally shutting the international airport due to ash. Violent eruptions from another peak recently killed over 110 people. Eruptions have left dense volcanic mud covering villages with rescue attempts having to halt every so often due to the unstable environment. At the time of writing 200 people remain missing in Guatemala; 12,000 are displaced, and being supported by NGOs with food, water and relief items. Pray for those helping to restore family links and for those giving psychosocial support. Donald Trump approved a request for federal aid to assist the thousands left homeless after 600+ homes were destroyed by Hawaii’s lava.

Historical Christian legacies are unprotected and are being demolished almost daily, due to IS's aim of removing all signs of Christianity and Christian history. Apart from Syria and Iraq, there is no other country like Iran that destroys its own historical sites on purpose. In spite of this, Iran leads the world for church growth and influencing the region for Christ, according to Mission Network News, the mission research organisation. There is a 19.6% rise in the Christian population annually, but this does not go without persecution. Please pray for four Iranian converts facing up to six years in prison on charges of 'acting against national security'. According to human rights activists, their verdict is expected soon after numerous delays. See