From 29 March to 4 April, heavy rains led to flash floods and landslides in East Timor, washing away a number of small villages, uprooting trees and turning communities into muddy regions across Indonesia. Reports from our partners there confirm that East Timor’s capital city of Dili was hit hardest, with large parts under water and 10,324 people affected across eight municipalities.

While rescue effort are still underway despite difficult weather conditions, authorities confirm over 150 people have been killed. Many remain unaccounted for and are feared buried. Thousands are now without homes throughout the region.

News sources say the storms have swept complete villages down mountainsides while humanitarian organizations hurry to help provide shelters for those who escaped the floods. The challenge is increased given the spread of COVID-19. Many evacuees have lost everything and are sheltered only with the wet clothes they were wearing.

Government and other agencies are currently offering immediate disaster relief. Critical infrastructure such as roads, bridges, medical centres are reportedly severely damaged, with communication and electricity disrupted.

A clinic run and operated under Indonesian Baptist Hospital Foundation is one of those centres severely affected. A medical storage facility was also heavily flooded, with several medical supplies intended for COVID-19 prevention and care, washed away.

  • Please pray that God might strengthen all those helping the evacuees as well as fighting extreme weather to find survivors.
  • Pray, too, that God might provide abundant resources through his people for those who now need daily provisions, especially through the Church Action Network, CAN DO, as they provide people with food, water and care.
  • Pray that Psalm 34:18, ‘The Lord is close to the broken-hearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit’ might bring comfort and renewed hope to our neighbours in East Timor and Indonesia.

Our Christian partners are on the ground and in urgent need of support to respond to this disaster. Your gift means more disaster-affected families are reached quicker. Please give generously today!