Natural disasters are a part of life in Eastern Samar. Earthquakes and tropical storms are common occurrences. Typhoons bring destruction and can leave large swaths of land and communities devastated. On May 14, 2020 Typhoon Ambo struck the northern coastal communities of Eastern Samar. The storm surge that followed the typhoon caused tremendous damage to buildings, homes and livelihoods. This calamity occurred as the Philippines, like the rest of the world, is responding to a global pandemic.
On May 24, once the government had cleared the roads for emergency aid, Sr. Rubi and Sr. Jenilyn were given permission to travel to the disaster site to distribute aid packages and clothing to families who have lost everything. They were able to visit the grandmother of one of the Ain Karim children and sadly found her home and that of her neighbors very badly damaged.
The SSV Sisters plan a return to the devastated areas and are collecting donations of for the Typhoon Ambo victims. The rebuilding will take a long time and the SSV Sisters will continue to return to bring comfort, listen to people in their suffering, bring food, medicine and clothing, and give hope to those families and communities as they pick up the pieces of their lives and rebuild. The SSV Sisters wish the people to feel, through their attentive care, Mama Mary who reaches out to them in compassion and the presence of God who loves them.