With the help of Samaritan’s Purse, local Christians are bringing hope to cyclone victims.

Rebulding Lives

Food, water, and shelter are helping people in Myanmar recover from the deadly cyclone

As the winds from Cyclone Nargis began tearing his home apart, Pastor Sam knew he had to take his family and run. He and his wife decided to try to make it to his brother’s barn, usually a 15-minute walk from their house.

“The cyclone was very strong,” he said. “My wife carried our 3-year-old on her back, and I had another son on mine. The other boys held onto our hands as tightly as they could.”

Battered by the fierce winds and rain, the family ducked into a small hut on the way. Soon, however, a wall of seawater inundated the home, and Sam’s wife and two of his children were swept away by the wave.

“We were divided, and we could not see each other,” he said. “I found a coconut tree and climbed it with my son hanging on to me. The water at that time was about nine feet deep. We stayed in the tree until early the next morning when the water level went down to four feet.”

Sam could not find his wife and other children, so he continued his journey to his brother’s barn with his son.

“We stayed there for three days with over 60 people from our village,” he said. “We only had the clothes on our backs. We did not have clean water, so we just drank coconut juice.”

When the water receded enough for the villagers to emerge from the barn, they found that only 17 of the community’s 285 houses remained standing. Those that were not destroyed suffered massive damage.

Sam was reunited with his wife and children, and they are now doing the best they can to pick up the pieces of their lives with help from Christians supported by Samaritan’s Purse.

His family is among thousands who are receiving food, water, and other basic necessities. We are also helping him build a new home so that he has a safe place to live as he tries to meet the spiritual needs of his devastated community.

Samaritan’s Purse has already committed over $1 million to the relief efforts in Myanmar. Additional supplies are ready to be shipped as our team identifies specific needs and locations.