JAKARTA (UCAN): The Salesians in Timor-Leste have built a shelter for dozens of families still homeless after flash floods ravaged the country over the Easter weekend in April.
The shelter was built behind the Salesian-run technical and professional centre in Comoro, on the outskirts of the capital Dili, as temporary living quarters for 189 people from 39 families.
The Salesian compound in Comoro was one of several places that took in the many people who fled their homes due to floods and landslides triggered by Tropical Cyclone Seroja that struck the country as well as Indonesia’s East Nusa Tenggara province on Easter Sunday (Sunday Examiner, April 25 and May 16).
The disaster affected all 13 municipalities in the country, with the capital Dili and the surrounding low-lying areas the worst affected. A total of 41 deaths were recorded in Timor-Leste, while 181 died in neighbouring Indonesia. It also damaged 2,163 hectares of agricultural land, raising fears of impending food shortages.
Father Jolino Vieira, formator at the Salesian post-novitiate house in Comoro who is helping to look after the displaced, explained that it was built by priests as well as teachers and students from the centre.
“As a result of their hard work and collaboration, the facility was completed professionally in a very short time—20 days,” he said on May 21. The shelter has 20 rooms and 19 tents kitted out with sleeping mats, cooking utensils and a little table.
‘We have distributed kitchen stuff to each family. Every month they will receive one sack of rice and oil. Other foodstuffs they have to find for themselves. They can now cook their own food instead of relying on what we provided’
Father Jolino Vieira
“We have distributed kitchen stuff to each family. Every month they will receive one sack of rice and oil. Other foodstuffs they have to find for themselves. They can now cook their own food instead of relying on what we provided,” the priest said.
He said the shelter was opened and blessed by Archbishop Virgílio Do Carmo da Silva of Dili on May 17 in a small ceremony attended by Salesian provincial, Father Apolinário Ornai Maria Neto, the families and government officials.
Father Vieira said that it’s not yet known how long the families will have to stay there. The government has pledged to rebuild their homes but has not said when.
The Salesians originally took in 500 families according to Father Vieira.
Miguel Perreira de Carvalho, the state and administration minister, has said the homes of 25,000 families need repairing and that the president, Francisco Guterres, had approved US$55 million ($427 million) in funding toward that purpose.
The Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Timor (CET) is providing emergency assistance and helped build 15 new houses, its executive secretary, Father Leandro Maria Alves, explained.
Meanwhile, Caritas is looking to help repair 58 houses, of which 10 were heavily damaged, 23 moderately damaged and 25 slightly damaged.
