Churches in China’s northern Shanxi Province leaked and collapsed due to being hit by torrential rain since October 3.
Recently, Shanxi Province has seen unusually continuous heavy rainfall which caused floods and disasters in Jinzhong, Linfen, Yuncheng and other cities.
As of Sunday, the floods had disrupted the lives of 1.76 million residents from 76 counties, with more than 120,000 people evacuated and 190,000 hectares of crops damaged. More than 17,000 houses collapsed, according to the provincial department of emergency management.
According to Gospel Times, an online Chinese Christian newspaper, Pastor Fan Wanmin from Jiexiu Church in Shanxi said that two dilapidated houses belonging to the church collapsed and that they planned to have them demolished. In addition, the devastated believers could only live in the homes of relatives and friends, as their homes were flooded, living supplies were ruined, and some old houses partially collapsed.
The staff of Yaodu District Church in Linfen said the roof of the church leaked due to continuous rainfall. A rural church in Yaodu District was at risk of collapse with the cross on the roof washed away and the gable falling down.
On October 9, after learning about the disaster in Shanxi, the faith-based Amity Foundation immediately opened donation channels on online platforms, initiating an emergency response.
On the evening of the same day, with the support of local partners, the foundation purchased the first batch of relief materials that have been delivered to the hard-hit Qi County and Jiexiu city of Jinzhong City. The supplies include 15 water pumps, 480 life jackets, 300 sets of rain pants, and 300 headlights, as well as 400 cotton-padded jackets and 300 pairs of gloves
The next day, the second batch of materials, including 2,400 barrels of instant noodles and 48 boxes of ham sausage, were sent to Jiaocheng County and Xiaoyi City in Lvliang City in the evening.
- Translated by Abigail Wu
