Volunteers at the Rebirth Rehabilitation Centre use a make-shift raft to move livestock to safety. - Photo: Fr Eamon Sheridan SSC
At 2am on Monday July 1, 2024, in the Rebirth Rehabilitation Centre in Myitkyina in north-eastern Myanmar, I was awakened by one of our dogs, who was sick and whimpering outside my door. I got up to see how he was and to comfort him.
It was pitch dark as the electricity had been switched off early on Sunday morning and hadn’t returned. As I comforted the dog, I heard people shouting on the other side of our fence. Trucks seemed to be taking people away. I wondered what was going on. Had the civil war all around us finally come to the city?
Then our four cows came galloping through the football field, splashing water as they did so. The water was slowly rising in the field but had not reached any of the buildings. The mighty Irrawaddy had broken its banks. I woke some of the staff and volunteers to catch the cows. They assured me the water would stop rising even as the torrential rain continued. I went to bed and tried to sleep, the dog had also settled down.
As daybreak broke across Myitkyina and the Rebirth Rehabilitation Centre, it was clear the flooding was continuing and soon it would enter the buildings. The 90 people in the centre sprang into action. The animals, pigs, cows, rabbits, turtles, chickens, and dogs were brought to safety. The deep freezer, refrigerator, computers, and other electrical equipment were raised out of harm’s way. Motorbikes were moved into our office, a place that would offer them some protection. Rice sacks were heaved to the second floor.
At 10am on Monday, the 90 of us retreated to the second floor of three buildings as the water level rose. The diocese emergency response team brought us food and drinking water twice a day on Monday and Tuesday for which we were very grateful.
Monday night into Tuesday morning was a long night as the torrential rain poured down and the water continued to rise. At about 1.30am I read the Gospel for Mass on Tuesday 2 July. It was the passage from Matthew 8:23–27 where Jesus was asleep in the back of the boat while the storm raged, and the disciples thought the boat was sinking.
“Don't you care we are going down?” They cried out to Jesus. As the rain fell and the water continued to rise, I found myself also crying out to Jesus, “Don't you care the water is rising?” I felt peace and calm at that moment and managed to get a few hours’ sleep.
When I awoke the rain had eased and the guys told me the water level was slowly going down. I felt a great sense of relief. This must have been how the disciples felt when Jesus calmed the storm.
By late Tuesday evening, the water had receded from most of the centre. What remained was a soggy mass of muck and debris. The clean-up began and, once again, the resilience and effort of the people here were extraordinary. We began surveying the damage.
Our fence around the property was damaged and will probably need to be replaced. Our generator was also covered with water and might be beyond repair. The wooden wardrobes in our dormitories were virtually destroyed and some of the desks in our office will need to be replaced. However, we were all safe and well. People brought us food and fresh water, and, in their kindness, I could see that Jesus cared - he had kept us calm and united in the face of a trying and frightening time.
That Tuesday night the heavy weapons started firing again and we prayed for peace and protection from the escalating war. Getting everything back to normal will take time, but by Thursday our recovery program was back in full swing offering a new life to those caught in the prison of addiction. Please continue to keep us in your prayers.
Columban Fr Eamon Sheridan lives and works in Myanmar.
Listen to "Don’t you care we are going down"
Related links
- Read more from The Far East - August 2024
